


The Past Increases, The Future Recedes

by afteriwake



Category: Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-14
Updated: 2013-08-14
Packaged: 2017-12-22 18:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/916571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six years after the events that resulted in Admiral Marcus's death and Khan's return to a cryogenic state, a shadowy organization in Starfleet who wants to continue Admiral Marcus's work in a militarized Starfleet wake Khan up as he is being transported to a prison planet. He escapes, and it is up to the crew of the newly returned Enterprise to track him down and recapture him. Kirk accepts the mission, taking McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Carol and Spock to go investigate the abandoned hangar where Admiral Marcus had the battle ship built. Khan is there, and he's been working on his own agenda, building a transwarp device that would allow him to travel through time as well as space. To protect himself, Khan jumps to 21st century London, and Kirk and his crew quickly follow. They convince a newly returned Sherlock and some of his friends of who they really are, thanks to Carol being a descendant of Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper and having detailed knowledge of those two particular ancestors, but before they can get Khan and get back home Khan kidnaps John Watson. Now the play for power has begun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Crossover Big Bang at Livejournal. Many thanks to my artist **banbury** (you can find the art [here](http://banbury.livejournal.com/154882.html)) and my friend **Shinji** for all the good suggestions for this story. This is my first time writing the Star Trek characters, but hopefully not the last.

People did not realize you could still dream while in a cryogenically frozen state. Your dreams spanned what felt like an eternity, a never ending sleep filled with never ending dreams. His dreams cried out for blood, thirsted for revenge. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he would dream of better times, of times before their exile. He may be cold and heartless to others, but to his crew he was friend to all. He missed them. He had tried to save them, and he had failed. But their deaths were not on his hands; no, their deaths were on the hands of the Vulcan, Commander Spock, and on James T. Kirk and the entire crew of the Enterprise. That was where the blame would lie. And so time passed, and he stayed in the frozen state, and soon the world at large forgot about him again. Or so the majority of the world thought. A few remembered, and a few waited, and then the few would act. His time would come again soon.

\--

“Prisoner is ready for transport.”

She nodded. She was ostensibly there to monitor the cryogenic prison the prisoner was housed in. At least, that’s what Starfleet thought. What she was really there to do was to set him free. Since the attacks on London and San Francisco six years ago, a rebellion had started. Starfleet had too much power, too much control. It had taken time, and various ways of gathering information from those in the upper echelons of Starfleet, but a plan had formed, and she was the one to implement it.

She looked at the blue science officer uniform she wore with distaste. She hated the uniform, hated the way it looked on her, the way it felt against her skin. She had used to love blue, but ever since her first mission she grew to despise looking at her reflection every morning in the mirror. It had not been hard for the organization to talk her into joining. Forging her paperwork so she would be involved in prisoner transport had been an easy thing for them. Now she just needed time alone.

The tubes were ancient, but that was to be expected. And they were only moving one tube, the most dangerous of the occupants. Admiral Marcus had had a good idea, to militarize Starfleet. Everyone in her organization believed that. And Admiral Marcus had chosen the right man to help. But the way he had done it had been all wrong. You didn’t exploit a man by using what he held most dear against him. You asked for his help, let him set his terms, and gave them to him. That was what the organization would do. All she had to do was wake him up and make the offer.

She walked along the tube as it was taken away from the other tubes. It would have been best if she did it there, proved to him that his crew was safe, but the security officers wouldn’t leave her alone until they got to the new installation. If she thought she hated the blue uniform she wore she utterly despised anyone in a red uniform. Most of the people involved in the security of the ship joked that unless you were in engineering or communications you stood a 99% chance of dying in any type of fire fight. She hoped the six men with her all bit the dust when her plan came to fruition. She also hoped they were too stupid to realize what she was doing until it was too late.

They boarded the shuttle that would take them to the planetoid. He was the first prisoner to be sent there, the one person in the universe considered so dangerous he had to be housed away from Earth. She sat in the back of the jumper, waiting for them to go to warp to get there. It was near Jupiter, near the abandoned hangar used to build the starship that had crashed into San Francisco all those years ago. Starfleet had just let it sit there, too unwilling to take it apart but too scared to use it for its true purpose, to make the weaponry and ships that would keep Earth safe. She hoped that one day it would be used for that glorious purpose again.

They went into warp and within moments were outside the planetoid. She could see the abandoned hangar from the small window across from her seat. It was now or never, she realized. If they made it to the planetoid she would not be able to do it. The security officers were too busy talking amongst themselves to pay her any attention. She undid the harness keeping her locked in and made her way to her bag, grabbing the syringe she needed to speed up the process of him waking up. She grabbed it and then quietly made her way to the tube. She had the code to unlock it memorized. It would take a few moments for him to awaken, but that was all she needed. She keyed in the code, keeping an ear out for the security officers at the front, but none of the idiots came back to her. She then plunged the syringe directly into the prisoner’s heart, pulling it out when the contents were emptied. When she was done, she crept back to her seat.

They were ten minutes away from the prison. As she watched and waited, she saw one of the security officers unbuckle himself. She began to panic. There was still at least three minutes before he woke up. He sauntered over to the cryotube and looked at it. Then he pulled out his phaser and pointed it at her. “What did you do?” he asked.

“I did what’s in the best interest of the world,” she said, lifting her chin up and giving him a defiant look.

“Fix it,” he said. At that point the others noticed there was a problem.

“No.”

He changed the setting. “Fix it or I’ll kill you. I have the authority.”

“He’ll still wake up,” she said, a tone of satisfaction in her voice. The other officers came up to her, and one roughly grabbed her arm. The second officer hauled her up and almost threw her towards the tube. She could see the prisoner’s eyelids fluttering. Good. He was almost awake. “Go ahead and kill me.”

“What’s the code?” the officer who moved her to the tube asked, grabbing his own phaser. He changed his setting as well, as did the other two officers who had come back with him.

“I’ll never tell.” She saw the prisoner’s eyes open. “It’s too late for you anyway.”

The security officers had no time because soon the prisoner was awake, showing no disorientation. He got out of the tube with a feline grace, a speed she had never seen before. The fight was brutal, and as soon as he got one of the phasers off a security officers they were all dead. He paid her no heed as he went to the cockpit of the jumper and took care of everyone else. Then he went back to her, pointing the phaser at her. “How long have I been in that tube?” he asked, his low baritone a little rusty from disuse.

“Six years,” she said. “We have a proposition for you.”

“Who?”

“My organization.” She stood up. “We need your help.”

“The last person who needed my help used me, took from me what I hold most dear.” He pointed the phaser at her head. “I will not be used again.”

“But—“ she began, but he depressed the trigger. The last thought she had was that this had not gone according to plan at all, and now Khan was on the loose and the world might have to worry about that.

\--

He didn’t have to go far. The minute he got control of the ship he headed towards the abandoned hangar close to Jupiter. He knew that Starfleet might send a patrol, but if he damaged the shuttle enough it would look like the other remnants of a failed experiment left to rot. He had been there many times, overseeing the construction of the ships and weaponry that Admiral Marcus had wanted to use in his glorious war. He had helped design the place, and he had gotten himself a section of it where he could work on his own projects, the things that would advance his cause that didn’t necessarily help with Admiral Marcus’s goals. He had made the portable transwarp device there, and it was one of the few things he had been able to smuggle with him when he escaped. But there had been other projects, things far more technically advanced than Starfleet had ever dreamed of. He had been working on a way to travel through time as well as space when he had had to escape, and he hoped his section of this hangar had been left unmolested in the years since he had been captured.

Six years. Six years had gone by and he had been lost in a frozen state. It was six years that Starfleet had breathed a collective sigh of relief that he was no longer a problem, he supposed. He probably should have spared the science officer, demanded answers from her. But he was adamant he would not be anyone’s puppet ever again. He had his own agenda, a driving need for revenge. If he could finish the device to travel through time then he could go back and save his crew, his family. He could find a way to change history, to save all of them. He knew there would be ramifications, of course. There always was when you toyed with the idea of changing time. But if his family could be spared it didn’t matter.

He was relieved that the airlock was still operational. He was thankful that he wouldn’t need a suit to give him oxygen. That meant he had freedom of movement and use of his hands. He damaged the shuttle as best he could and then made his way to the wall where his secret room was. He got to the secret panel and let himself in, then made his way down the corridor. There was a thick layer of dust on everything but it seemed as though nothing had been touched. _Good_ , he thought to himself. He looked over everything. The hangar had its own power system, but he knew if he turned it on that would be a red flag to anyone patrolling this sector of space trying to find him. He would have to make it so the power only flowed to this room. It wouldn’t be hard to do, he knew that. And as he let himself back out to go do just that, he began to plan. He would save his family if it was the last thing he did.


	2. Chapter 2

“Come on, Spock. We just got back from a five year mission in deep space,” Kirk said with a grin. “Bones is coming, Scotty is coming, Chekov and Sulu are coming. Even your girlfriend is coming. You have to come too.”

“I do not see the point in celebrating our return to Earth by going to a bar and getting intoxicated,” Spock replied, frowning at his friend. They were walking along the corridors of the Enterprise, doing the final checklist before they went back to the hangar to dock and take a shuttle back to Earth. “It is highly illogical.”

“It’s a _party_ ,” Kirk said, rolling his eyes. “Party’s aren’t supposed to be logical.” He slung an arm around Spock’s shoulder. “Come on, it will be fun. You should at least do something the half human side of you would recognize as fun.”

“I suppose if Nyota will be there it will not be too bad,” Spock said after a moment.

“Great! You can just have water or something else while the rest of us drink.” Then he paused. “Crap. Is Chekov even old enough to join us?”

“It has been five years, Captain. He is now of legal age to imbibe alcohol at any establishment that serves it,” Spock said.

“See? Even more of a reason to celebrate. We can take him to his first bar!” Kirk grinned at him. “This is going to be fun, I can feel it.” Spock was about to reply when Kirk’s communicator beeped. “Hold that thought.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Kirk opened up his communicator. “Captain speaking.”

“Sir, an urgent transmission is coming from Starfleet,” Lieutenant Uhura said. “You need to hear this.”

“We’ll be on the bridge in a few minutes,” Kirk said, frowning. He turned to Spock. “Why do I get the feeling the bar crawl is going to have to wait?”

“I believe you might be right. I have no idea what could be happening, though the possibilities are not good,” Spock said. “If it was good news it could have waited until we returned to Earth.”

Kirk sighed as they got to a transport. “Wonderful.” Within a few moments they were on the bridge. Chekov’s “Captain on the bridge” got ignored by Kirk as he made his way to the chair. “Patch it through,” he said to Uhura. 

She nodded. “Coming onscreen in a moment.”

Kirk watched as the new Admiral in charge of Starfleet appeared on his screen. “Admiral Parker,” he said with a slight nod.

“Captain Kirk,” she replied. “I know you have just returned to Earth, but Starfleet needs your assistance.”

“Of course, Admiral,” Kirk replied. “What do you need us to do?”

There was a pause. “We decided it would be best to transport a certain prisoner to a planetoid prison, away from Earth. Someone on board that ship helped him escape. He is now loose and we have no clue where he’s at. He’s one of the most dangerous people Starfleet has ever encountered.”

“Who is he?” Kirk asked.

“Khan Noonien Singh,” Admiral Parker said gravely.

Kirk froze. “Admiral, I would have been happy to take him with us and jettison him off into deep space after what happened, so I can understand why you would move him,” he said after a moment. “And even though I didn’t kill him the first time it doesn’t mean I want him around again. Why on _Earth_ would someone wake him up?”

“There is an organization, who wants to continue what Admiral Marcus had been doing,” she replied. “They want a militarized Starfleet. They reach into some of the upper echelons of Starfleet. We are asking you and your crew to find Khan because you’ve dealt with him before, and subdued him. ”

“Not without me dying of radiation poisoning first,” Kirk pointed out.

“I know this is asking a lot of your crew, but we are desparate. We _cannot_ allow him to be on the loose. It will result in a repeat not just of what happened six years ago, but what he did many years before that.”

Kirk nodded. “Admiral, we will accept this mission. We’ll bring him back to Earth.”

“No.”

This time Kirk frowned. “No? Ma’am, I’m not killing him. That’s what started the mess the first time, and I’m not really in the mood to risk my ship and my crew again for a vendetta.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Admiral Parker said. “I don’t want you to kill him, but I don’t want him back on Earth. I want him locked up in that prison, far away from everyone and everything he could use to aid the organization in their goals.”

Kirk nodded slowly. “Fair enough. But we need to get fresh supplies, and I want to give my crew at least one week to take care of any affairs they need to before we go back into space.”

Admiral Parker thought it over for a moment, and then she nodded. “Agreed. In one week reassemble your crew and go find Khan.”

“Yes ma’am.” She ended her transmission and Kirk looked around. His crew had been away from home for a long time, and now he had just agreed to an open-ended mission. He looked behind him at Spock, then Uhura. Then he turned back to the front and looked at Chekov and Sulu and everyone else on the bridge. Everyone had the same look on their face, and it wasn’t annoyance or exasperation. It was determination. “Lieutenant Uhura, patch me through ship wide.”

“Yes captain,” she said with a nod. She flipped the switches and then turned back to him. “Ready when you are.”

He took a deep breath. “This is your captain speaking. I know we have just returned from the first five year mission in deep space, and it was a success. I also know that everyone on this ship was looking forward to returning home for some well-deserved R&R. But Starfleet has just tasked us with a mission of the utmost importance, and I have accepted. Some of you were on the crew of this ship six years ago when we had our encounter with Khan Noonien Singh. At the end of the encounter he was captured and put somewhere where he could rot. We had hoped that would be the last we heard from him. I am afraid that is not the case.”

He turned back to look at Spock, who nodded. He took another breath and then spoke again. “We have one week to take care of our affairs and then all crew needs to return to the Enterprise so we can find him and take him to the prison he was being transported to. We’ll utilize every resource we have to find him as quickly as possible so we can return home and get back to our lives. But if he’s on the loose, it’s not just Earth that’s in danger. It’s the whole universe. He is our most dangerous enemy, and we need to get him someplace where he can never hurt anyone again. This ship has lost too much because of him, and I consider it our duty to bring him back into custody. Kirk out.”

Spock got up and came over to stand behind the captain’s chair. “Captain, I believe this is the best course of action.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m pretty sure in about five minutes Bones is going to come up here and start yelling at me.”

A faint but amused grin crossed Spock’s face. “I see that outcome at a 99.7% probability.”

“Do you think we can find Khan?”

“I believe we have to,” Spock said. “And we will do whatever it takes to make that happen. But…”

“But what?”

“It will be hard with a week’s delay. With your permission, I would like to investigate further upon our return to Earth. I have no affairs to take care of, and it would help.”

Kirk nodded. “Permission granted. Thank you, Spock.” Then he shut his eyes. “One day everything will go right,” he murmured to himself.

“Captain?” Spock asked.

“Nothing, just talking to myself,” he said with a sigh. “Let’s go see if we can head Bones off in the medical bay before he gets up here and starts screaming at me. I’d rather not do that on the bridge.”

“As you wish, Captain.”

\--

McCoy hadn’t exploded with rage. Well, he hadn’t yelled loudly, at the very least, and not for as long as Kirk had thought he would. He did still grumble as the crew disembarked, senior staff leaving last. Now they were gathered in a conference room with Admiral Parker in San Francisco, getting a brief rundown of what was known. They had only been back on Earth for an hour, and while the rest of the crew of the Enterprise went to go settle their affairs before they went back to space those Kirk trusted most were learning more about what happened.

“He has a shuttle, and it has warp capabilities,” Admiral Parker said. “He could be anywhere.”

“Where is the planetoid where the prison is held?” Carol said. She had been included in this meeting since she had been a part of the original encounter with Khan, and she had just as much reason to want him recaptured, since he was the man who had killed her father. Over the last six years she had become a valued member of the crew and yet another person Kirk turned to for advice.

“The coordinates are 23 17 46 13,” Admiral Parker said. “It is located near Jupiter, by the hangar…” Admiral Parker trailed off.

“The hangar where my father built that ship,” Carol said quietly.

“Yes,” Admiral Parker said with a nod. “We discovered the planetoid was hospitable to us when we inspected the hangar after the first incident with Khan. It was decided the prison would be built there to house the most dangerous criminal we had faced.”

“Could he be hiding in the hangar?” Scotty asked. “I was there. It’s a vast labyrinth.”

“We had a team sweep through when he escaped two days ago. We didn’t find him or the shuttle,” she replied. “Though he did have a hand in designing it. He could have a hidden room or two somewhere.”

“Then we’ll search there first,” Kirk said with a nod. “After that we’ll go anywhere he could go in that shuttle.”

“There were limited supplies on it,” Admiral Parker said. “It was supposed to transport him to the prison and then return back to Earth. It was not intended to be a very long trip.”

“You’re assuming the entire crew of the vessel is dead,” Spock said.

“Yes,” she replied. “He had no reason to spare any of them. There were six security officers, the doctor monitoring him and the pilot and co-pilot.”

“I’m betting it was the medical officer who woke him up,” McCoy said. “She’d be the only one with the expertise, and I know there would need to be a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart to speed up the time it takes to wake him up.”

“Most likely. The more we learn about her, the more it seems she was the one.” Admiral Parker pulled up a file for each of them to read. “This presents a problem. If it was just her I wouldn’t be as concerned, but this seems to be the first strike from a shadowy organization who wants to continue Admiral Marcus’s vision of a militarized Starfleet.”

“Has anyone come forward to claim responsibility?” Kirk asked.

“Not yet. But we think that might be because the plan, whatever it was, was not successful. I am assuming they wanted Khan’s expertise, and since he is now on the loose they aren’t getting it. They are most likely coming up with a Plan B.”

“Do you think he thinks his crew is dead still?” Uhura said quietly. “I mean, he wasn’t revived near them, was he?”

“No,” the Admiral replied, shaking her head. “He was the only one we were transporting to the planet.”

“If he finds out we’re back he may try and take his revenge,” McCoy said, looking at Spock, then Kirk. “ _We_ know his crew is still alive, but when he crashed that ship into Starfleet headquarters he didn’t know that. And none of us told him after he was recaptured.”

“So we need to be extra careful,” Kirk said. “Okay, fine. Then we can be careful. I don’t want to risk my crew’s life if I can help it. The guy is a brilliant psychopath, after all. There’s no telling what he can do.”

“Perhaps a small party can go to the abandoned hangar before the Enterprise is ready,” Spock said. “It would be the most logical course of action, and would make more sense than all of us waiting a week.”

“I can authorize that,” Admiral Parker said with a nod. “Captain Kirk, who do you want to take with you?”

Kirk thought for a moment. “Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty and Carol.” Each of the people he named nodded, and then he turned to Sulu. “Feel like being acting captain again?”

Sulu nodded. “I can take over duties as Captain of the Enterprise if you do not return in a week.”

“Fine. You’re in charge. Meet us there in a week.” Kirk looked around. “The rest of you, let’s get going. How soon can we get a shuttle ready?”

“Within three hours,” Admiral Marcus said.

“Then we’ll go in three hours.” Kirk paused. “And if we go, we go out of uniform.”

“Why?” Scotty asked.

“Because bright colors make us a visible target and I’m pretty sure we need all the advantages we can get when we sneak up on him,” Kirk said. “Everyone needs to be all in black.”

“Very well, Captain,” Spock said, and the others nodded. “I will oversee what we need for the shuttle.”

“I’ll go with you,” Carol said. “I have prototypes of some weaponry we might be able to use on him to stun him that I worked on during the mission. As was demonstrated the last time, the regular phasers don’t work on him with any proven effectiveness. And we’ll need another cryotube.”

“I’ll get you whatever you need,” Admiral Parker said. “Meeting dismissed.”

Kirk and his crew stood up and left the room. Spock lagged behind a bit to walk next to Kirk. “Captain, I know why you picked the crew you chose, but why are we not taking security personnel?”

“Because while I trust everyone on my crew I trust the people in this room the most,” he said as they exited the room. “If we take a larger party that just means there are more people Khan can kill, and I don’t want any more deaths caused by him on my conscience. Besides, if that shadowy organization is a threat I don’t want anyone along who can be swayed by them. I know for a fact everyone in that room wants him back on ice, not leading another rebellion.”

“Understood,” Spock said with a nod. “The work that Lieutenant Marcus has done during our mission will be of tremendous help.”

“See? Aren’t you glad we got a second science officer?” Kirk said with a grin, clapping Spock on the shoulder. “Go get her weapons and get the shuttle ready. We’ll meet you at the shuttle bay in three hours.” Spock left, and Kirk watched as McCoy slowed down. He knew his friend was going to want to talk to him. “What is it, Bones?”

“Why are you bringing me along?” he asked.

“Because you’re the best doctor we have on the ship,” Kirk said with a nod. “If anything goes wrong I want you there taking care of us.”

“I’m going to need supplies. Especially if we have to shove Khan back into a cryotube.”

“Then accompany Spock to go get them,” Kirk said.

“Do you really think we can recapture him?” McCoy asked.

“We have to,” Kirk said with a slight frown. “I don’t want him loose. I don’t want a repeat of six years ago, especially since he probably thinks we got his crew killed. He didn’t kill mine. He’s going to want to.”

“There is that,” McCoy said. “If we capture him, are you going to tell him?”

Kirk nodded. “He may be a criminal, but he deserves to know. I don’t think it will stop him from trying to kill us, though.”

“Yeah, I see that happening, too,” McCoy said with a sigh. “Not looking forward to that.”

“None of us are. But it’s our job to find him and get him locked up for good. We’ll just do whatever it takes to keep from getting killed.”

“It’s going to be like going into a fight with a knife while the other person has a gun.”

Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose. “What did I tell you about the metaphors?”

“That’s a pretty apt metaphor, though.”

“I know,” Kirk said with a sigh. “That’s what worries me.”


	3. Chapter 3

It didn’t take long for the crew to get to the hangar. As requested by their Captain, all of them were in black. They weren’t sure if there was breathable air, but Scotty told them once they got inside there was an airlock and they would be fine if it was still working; after all, the people building things in there had to walk around. They brought breathing equipment just in case, however, but there was no need. They docked the shuttle at the farthest edge of the hangar and disembarked. Each of them had been upgraded with a new phaser that Carol had developed while the Enterprise had been in its five year mission; she only had six prototypes and each one of them was being used by Enterprise crew members. They waited outside the shuttle for Spock to get the last of their supplies they needed sorted. “Scotty, what’s different than last time?” Kirk asked.

“Other than the life support systems being on and the airlock working, there’s no power,” he said with a frown. “If he’s here he could be hiding anywhere.”

“If he was smart he would reroute power to where he needs it,” McCoy said. “And he thinks he’s superior to everyone else, so he probably did.”

“Can you find out if the power is on anywhere in here?” Kirk asked Scotty as Spock joined them.

“I can try,” Scotty replied. “I need to find a control panel, though. I canna do it without one.”

“Fine. We don’t split up. Everyone keep your eyes peeled and keep your phasers close.” Kirk checked the settings. “Are you sure these will stun him?” he asked Carol.

“I’m fairly sure,” she said with a nod. “They won’t kill him, at any rate.”

“Okay. We get to a control panel and we see if he’s here. If he is we get him and we haul ass to the planetoid,” Kirk said. “If not we head home and start over. Where is the control panel?”

Uhura pulled out the schematics Admiral Parker had given them from the bag on her back. She handed them to Scotty and he looked over them before pointing to a section near them. “Here’s the closest one. There are three in the entire hangar, but I don’t know if this is the one we need. The other ones are a bit of a walk.”

“We’ll start with that one,” Kirk said. “Let’s move out.”

The six of them began making their way to the control panel. All of them were on high alert, and Spock and Kirk were at the front, checking each area before they moved forward. Uhura and Carol took the rear, and Scotty kept walking while giving them directions in a quiet voice with McCoy by his side. It took them twenty minutes, but finally they were at the panel. Scotty checked it and grinned. “There’s power running to one part of the hangar, and it’s close.”

“That pretty much tells us he’s here,” McCoy said.

“Then let’s go get him. Everyone, be careful,” Kirk said. They got back into the formation they had been in, and Scotty was once again giving directions. They got to the area where the power was running and saw a wall. Kirk walked up to it, then walked to one side and then the other. Finally he turned to Scotty. “Okay, Scotty. Did you screw up the directions?”

“No, Jim,” he replied, looking back at the schematics for a moment, and then back at Kirk. “This is where the power’s running to.” He went back to the schematics a third time. “There must be a secret room or something.”

“Find a way to get inside,” Kirk said. Scotty nodded and went to the wall. It took nearly twenty minutes, but he found a small panel nearby, nearly hidden out of sight. After a moment Scotty found the way to open it. He popped it open and saw there was a button. He looked to his friends, ending with Kirk. Each one of them got their phasers ready, and Scotty pushed the button. A panel slid open, leading to a corridor. They filed through and ended up in a room.

Khan was bending over a device of some sort, oblivious to their arrival. Kirk made a motion to the others to surround him. They did so as quietly as possible. When everyone was in place Kirk stepped forward. “You’re coming with us,” he said.

Khan looked up sharply, and then sneered at Kirk. “Oh, they sent you, the gallant heroes. Think you can stun me again? Hit me with all you’ve got? Put me back into a cryotube?”

“We’re going to capture you and lock you up so you never harm anyone again,” Kirk said, leveling his phaser at Khan.

“You can _try_ ,” he said. He grabbed something off the table and then pressed a button on the device. What seemed like a small electrical field enveloped him and everyone turned away from the bright light, and then when they looked back he was gone.

“What the _fuck_ just happened?” Kirk said, his eyes wide.

Scotty lowered his phaser and went to the device. “Captain…this is a transwarp device, but like nothing I’ve ever seen. It can travel through time as well as space.”

“Well, where did he go?” McCoy asked.

Scotty looked at the machine. “21st century London. The year 2015, to be precise.”

“Why would he want to go there?” Uhura asked.

“I haven’t a clue,” Scotty said. Then he turned back to Kirk. “What are we going to do, Jim?”

“We’re going after him.”

“I don’t even know if this machine can take all of us, or if we’ll be able to get back,” Scotty said. “I don’t think it’s finished yet. And if we don’t take it with us…”

“Scotty, hold onto the machine. Everyone else, hold onto Scotty.”

“Wait a minute, Jim,” McCoy said. “You want us to chase him through time? How are we going to fit in? It’s an ancient era!”

“Of which I’m kind of an expert,” Kirk said with a slight shrug, going over to Scotty and putting his hand on his shoulder.   
“But it’s _London_ ,” McCoy said. “Whole other country from where you grew up.”

“It can’t be _that_ different, right?” Kirk said.

“Actually, there are fundamental differences in language and customs,” Spock said.

“I can help,” Carol said. “I was fascinated by London’s history, and I am also rather fond of British slang from that era. I can come along as a guide and translator, if needed.” She stood on Scotty’s other side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“See? We’ll be fine,” Kirk said with a nod. “Look, anyone who wants to stay can stay, but I’m going to hunt the bastard down and bring him back. Who knows what trouble he can cause there?”

“I will go with you,” Spock said, putting a hand near Kirk’s on Scotty’s shoulder.

“I will too,” Uhura said, putting her hand on Scotty’s arm.

“If you don’t want to go you can go back to Starfleet and tell them what happened,” Kirk said to McCoy.

McCoy looked at all of them and then sighed. “This is a monumentally bad idea,” he grumbled before grabbing Scotty’s other arm.

“Scotty, send us after him,” Kirk said.

“Let’s all pray the machine comes through with us,” Scotty said, and then he pressed the button. The crew was enveloped in the same electrical field Khan had been enveloped in. The entire crew shut their eyes, and then opened them again when they felt wind on their faces. Scotty looked down and beamed. “It worked! The machine came with us.”

“Great,” Kirk said with a nod. “We need to hide it somewhere.”

“Jim, how are we going to get around here without sticking out like sore thumbs?” McCoy asked. “We need money, _their_ money, something none of us thought to bring. And clothes.” He looked at Spock. “And something to cover up his pointy ears.”

“Do you guys know what an ATM machine is?” Kirk asked.

“Those things are museum pieces,” Scotty said.

“Think you can rewire one to give us money?” Kirk asked Scotty.

“Possibly,” he said. “I need to see one up close.”

“Then look to your left and down the alley,” he said.

“The thing in the wall?” Uhura asked.

Kirk nodded. “That would be an ATM machine.” They all trooped over to it. Scotty looked at it before handing the machine to Carol, then pulled something out of the bag he’d had on his back. He looked at the slim card and then slipped it into the machine. He quickly attached a keyboard to the wire hanging out from the card and tapped in a few things on it. Suddenly money started spitting out of the machine. “Don’t take all of it!” Kirk hissed.

“I canna stop it!” Scotty snapped back.

“Well, start collecting it,” McCoy said, rolling his eyes. The others started gathering up the money, and soon they were stuffing it into Scotty’s bag as Scotty keyed in a few more commands. The money stopped spitting out and Scotty breathed a sigh of relief. 

“What kind of money is it?” Uhura asked, looking at one of the bills.

“British pounds,” Carol said. “My mother had some of these. We have a lot of money here, Captain.”

“Then give it to me and I’ll be right back.” Then he paused. “Never mind. Nyota, Carol, come with me.”

“Why?” Carol asked.

“And why are you calling me by my first name?” Uhura asked.

“Because I don’t want to attempt to buy clothes for the two of you, and we all need to be on a first name basis while we’re here.” He turned to the others. “The three of you, stay out of sight and find a place to hide that machine.”

“Right, Captain,” Scotty said. “I mean, Jim.”

Kirk took the bag and nodded to the two women, who followed him out of the alley. “Do you know anything about where we might be?” Kirk asked Carol.

Carol looked around, then nodded. “I believe we are in downtown London, near Piccadilly Circle.”

“Are there places to buy clothes here?” Uhura asked.

“We need to find a Harrods,” Carol said. “That would be our best bet.” She looked around, then pointed. “There.”

“Then let’s get in and get clothes,” Kirk said. They made their way quickly towards the store but he stopped at a newsstand in front of it. He slowly made his way over to a paper and picked it up. “Come look at this,” he said to Uhura and Carol.

The two women stood behind him. “That’s Khan,” Uhura said.

“No, it’s not,” Kirk said, flipping the paper open and quickly finding the article. “’Perhaps the greatest mystery to come out of the year is how the supposed fake genius Sherlock Holmes faked his suicide. Three years ago he jumped off the roof of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital and was declared dead. But just last week, a very much alive Holmes was seen returning to Scotland Yard in the company of his brother, government official Mycroft Holmes. Whether he goes back to being the world’s only consulting detective is unknown, but he’s back in London and planning to stay.’” He looked at his companions. “We need to assume Khan has seen this.”

“What did you say his name was again?” Carol asked, her eyes wide.

“Sherlock Holmes.”

“I’m related to him!”

“That’s interesting,” Uhura said, clearly surprised.

“Many generations back, he is an ancestor of mine. He married a woman many years after this, a woman named…” She paused as she thought. “Molly Hooper, I believe. She was involved in helping him fake his death. It was a huge scandal at the time when he came back. He’d been something called a consulting detective, and he solved murders. Family legend says he did it to keep his friends safe. A criminal mastermind named Moriarty had ruined his reputation, portraying him as a fake, and then threatened him with the deaths of his friends if he didn’t kill himself.”

“How much do you know about him?” Kirk asked.

“Quite a bit. His story fascinated me as a child. Why?”

“We need to find him before Khan does, because if Khan’s seen there’s a man who looks exactly like him I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to use it to his advantage. If we don’t keep him safe, history could change.”

“221B Baker Street,” Carol said.

“What?” Kirk asked, a look of confusion crossing his face.

“That’s where he lives. 221B Baker Street. If we’re going to find him now that he’s returned, that would be the place I would start. Perhaps his friend is still there. I always wondered about him.”

“Who?”

“John Watson. He was something called a blogger. He wrote about their cases.” Then she frowned. “I can’t remember if he was still living on Baker Street when my ancestor returned.”

“Well, we’ll worry about him later. Your ancestor is our top priority.” Kirk looked at Carol, then Uhura, before pulling money out of the bag. He paid for the newspaper and then gave them money. “Let’s get clothes for everyone quickly and then head over there. I’ll grab clothes for everyone else, you get things for yourselves. Just remember we’re trying to fit in. Nothing flashy, and if you can help it, no skirts or dresses. If there’s going to be fighting I want everyone on equal footing.”

“All right, Jim,” Uhura said. The three of them hurried into the store. Kirk would have thought it would take longer, but he got clothing for each of the men and himself fairly quickly. Carol and Uhura found him after thirty minutes, already dressed in period clothing. Carol had on jeans and a blue T-shirt with a gray pea coat over it, while Uhura also had on jeans but a white button down shirt and a leather jacket, as well as a scarf. Both women had kept their own shoes. Kirk quickly paid for the rest of the clothes and then went to change into his own outfit, jeans and a black T-shirt with a leather jacket. “Did you get jackets for everyone else?” Uhura asked.

Kirk shook his head. “As soon as we get them in appropriate clothes they can buy their own,” he replied. “We’ll just have them meet us where Carol said her ancestor lives.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Carol said with a nod. “Let’s get back to them, shall we?”

Kirk nodded and they hurried back to the alley. The three men were standing there waiting. “What took you so long?” McCoy asked impatiently.

“We need to go save someone,” Kirk said, pulling out the newspaper. Spock took it and his eyes widened. “It’s not Khan. It’s one of Carol’s ancestors, a man named Sherlock Holmes.”

“The resemblance is uncanny,” Spock said.

“We need to go make sure he’s safe,” Kirk said, pulling clothing out of the shopping bags he had. “Change, and quickly. Did you hide the machine?”

“This isn’t really a good place,” Scotty said. “Too many people walking by.”

“Then we need to take it with us,” Kirk said. “Hurry up and change, and we’ll go pay Sherlock Holmes a visit.”

“Do you think he will be receptive to our story?” Spock asked Kirk as he took the clothes he was being handed.

“Carol?” Kirk asked.

“I highly doubt it. He had a reputation as being an outright skeptic around this time. Something changed later, but I don’t know what.” She frowned. “There were also whispers in the family that he was a high functioning sociopath.”

“Oh, swell. A sociopath and a psychopath who look exactly the same,” McCoy grumbled. “What could possibly go wrong?”

“You have a point,” Kirk muttered, handing McCoy clothing. McCoy was the only one who heard him, and all he did was raise an eyebrow. “Okay, we need to find him, convince him we’re the good guys, and then try and find Khan and get the hell out of here.”

“How hard could _that_ be?” Scotty asked sarcastically.

“I believe it is going to be one of the hardest things we’ve had to do in a long time,” Spock said as he began to change.

“Don’t you have any modesty, man?” McCoy asked Spock.

Spock looked at him strangely. “Why do you ask?”

“At least have the women turn around first,” McCoy said.

“I’ve already seen him naked,” Uhura pointed out.

“But you haven’t seen _me_ naked. Turn around,” McCoy said, making a motion with his hand. Uhura and Carol wore amused smiles but dutifully turned around. He and the others stripped down quickly and changed. “Amazing. You got me clothes that actually fit,” McCoy murmured when he was done.

Kirk pulled one last thing out of the bag and handed it to Spock. “Cover up your ears with this.”

“A hat?” Spock asked, looking at it.

“In America they call them beanies,” Kirk said with a shrug. “Just put it on your head and cover up your pointy ears.”

“Very well, Jim,” Spock said with a nod. He put the hat on. “Now what do we need to do?”

“The three of you need to get jackets or coats and then we can go,” Kirk said. “Follow us.”

“What should we do with our uniforms?” Scotty asked.

“Leave them here.” Kirk said with a shrug. “It’s chilly, and maybe someone can use the clothing.”

“All right,” Scotty said. Kirk, Uhura and Carol left their clothes by the pile of the men’s clothes, and Scotty took one of the bags and put the machine in it. Then the group walked back to the department store. The three men and Carol went inside, and fifteen minutes later they emerged, all of the men wearing coats of one sort or another. “Now where do we go?” Scotty asked.

“221B Baker Street,” Kirk said. “We need to take cabs, and we aren’t all going to fit in one. Spock, Nyota and Carol, you take one cab. The rest of us will go in the other.”

“Very well,” Spock said. “We will meet you there, Jim.”

“See you soon,” Kirk said as he and Carol reached over to hail cabs. Kirk hoped that doing this was the right move, as opposed to looking for Khan. He had a feeling more lives would be saved this way, but there was still that gnawing feeling that this might be the wrong plan all together. He just hoped he could trust his gut this time around.


	4. Chapter 4

Khan looked around. He had not seen where the machine had sent him before he pressed the button, and he had no clue where he was. Then he realized the machine had not come with him and he swore. He had been so intent on making his escape that he hadn’t thought ahead. This was careless of him. He was in an alley of some sort, and it was cold.

“Well, if it isn’t the great fake.”

Khan turned to the man who had spoken. He was there with two other men, and from the looks of them they meant to cause him trouble. They had the same accent he did, so he surmised that whatever time he had landed in, he was on Earth and he was somewhere in Britain. With the size of the city he could only assume he was in London. After he took care of these three he would confirm it for sure.

He was not about to make the same mistake he had made with the science officer. He gripped the phaser he had brought with him and held it behind his back. “Why am I a fake?” he asked.

“Everyone knows you’re a criminal. You staged all those cases you solved,” one of the other men scoffed. “You’re a _murderer._ ”

That was an apt description of him, he conceded in his mind, but the cases remark puzzled him. “What cases?”

“The murder cases. You’re being a consulting detective is a crock of shit,” the third man said. “You know, we should drag you to Scotland Yard. Have you brought up on charges.”

“He’s already been to the Yard, mate,” the first man said. “They let him walk out a free man. We’ll just have to make sure he goes back in a wheelchair.”

Khan grinned a feral grin. “Oh, I would love to see you try,” he said.

“You hear that? Holmes is challenging us,” the second man said.

“Sounds more like a threat,” the first man said. “We can claim self-defense.”

“It was a threat,” Khan said, pulling the phaser from behind his back. He aimed at the second man who had spoken and fired the phaser. It was still set to kill, and as soon as he was down he aimed it at the third man who spoke and killed him as well. The first man was frozen in fear as Khan approached, phaser at the ready. “Strip,” he said.

“Bloody hell, what did you do?” he asked, trembling hands beginning to undress himself.

“I killed them,” he said, inclining his shoulder slightly. “I am, after all, a murderer in your eyes.”

“What are you going to do to me?” the man asked as he took off his coat and began to pull up his shirt.

“If you are useful I may spare you,” he said. “You called me Holmes.”

“Of course. You’re Sherlock Holmes, aren’t you?”

“Sherlock Holmes,” he said quietly. “I suppose I am.”

The man pulled off his shirt and began to unbutton his pants. “Please spare me. I have a family.”

“Don’t we all,” he murmured. He waited for the man to kick off his shoes and pull his pants off. “You’ve been helpful.”

“So you’ll let me live?” the man asked hopefully.

“I’m afraid not.” He fired the phaser at the man and he fell down dead. Khan glanced at the mouth of the alley, then began to haul the dead men farther into it, depositing them by a wall. When he was done he quickly stripped out of his clothing and changed into the other man’s clothes. They were not a good fit, but he could remedy that later. For now he needed to find out exactly who Sherlock Holmes was. He got the feeling this would be very important.

\--

The two cabs pulled up to the building not that long after they got in. Kirk’s arrived first, and once he figured out how much money to give the driver he went to pay the driver of the other cab. “We don’t have a lot of money left,” Kirk said with a frown as the others gathered around him.

“How much?” McCoy asked. Kirk showed him the content s of the bag. “If you can find me a poker game I can get more.”

“You? Poker?” Scotty asked.

“Part of the reason I joined Starfleet was because I was a very good poker player, and it made people a little nervous. Or at least nervous enough to cheat. Of course, at the end of the day I was the one getting fleeced, and I figured it would be better to join Starfleet than to lose the use of my legs,” McCoy said with a shrug.

“I never knew that,” Kirk said, slightly impressed.

“Look, we’re going to need a place to stay, and if I remember anything about those ATM things, they have cameras.”

“I remembered that,” Scotty said with a slight sigh and rolled eyes. “I disabled that first.”

“Well, even if you did, we can’t do that at every ATM we run across, and we have no clue how long we’re going to be here.” McCoy scratched his chin slightly. “If I can take the last of the cash I can find a game and win us more.”

“How would you find a game?” Spock asked, slightly intrigued.

“Go to a dive bar and ask around.”

Kirk nodded. “Go find one.” Then he paused. “Crap. Do our communicators work here?”

“I highly doubt it,” Spock said as Scotty pulled his out.

“No,” Scotty said after a moment. “We need those phone things everyone had.”

“Cell phones,” Kirk replied.

“Whatever they’re called.” Scotty looked around. “There’s an ATM near that deli. I can get a bit more money, just this once, enough to get us all phones.”

“Okay, fine. Do it, but be discreet,” Kirk said. Scotty nodded, and they all tensely waited. This time the money did not come flying out, and Scotty collected it and brought it back to Kirk. Kirk handed it to Carol. “Do you think this will be enough?”

She nodded. “That should be more than sufficient.”

“Then why don’t you try and find phones, Carol?” Kirk asked.

She shook her head. “No. You need me here to talk to Sherlock Holmes.”

“Damn,” Kirk muttered.

“I can do it,” Uhura said. “We made study of different communication devices in the academy, and I think I can get the money right.”

“Okay. Take Spock with you. We’ll try and go talk to Sherlock Holmes.” He handed the money to Uhura, who slipped it into her coat pocket. Then the two of them walked down the street. After they had left Kirk turned to Carol. “Should he be here?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she said, spreading her hands slightly. “If he’s not here he could be at Scotland Yard or possibly St. Bartholomew’s.” 

“Let’s knock on the door and see,” Kirk said. The four who remained went up to the door and knocked. After a moment the door opened and an older woman looked at them. “Hi! We need to speak to Sherlock Holmes.”

“I’m afraid he isn’t taking cases right now,” the woman said with a frown.

“We don’t have a case,” Kirk said.

“Then why do you want to speak with him? I won’t let you harass him.”

“We want to do nothing of the sort,” Carol interjected with a smile. “We just want to talk to him. We didn’t believe the lies, and we wanted to ask him some questions.”

“Well…I’ll ask him,” she said after a moment.

The woman had the door almost shut when Carol remembered something. “Tell him it’s a matter of life and death.”

“I thought this wasn’t about a case,” she said, opening the door again.

“I’m related to him,” she said. “A very distant relative. And I need information from him.”

“All right. I’ll tell him.” She shut the door quietly but firmly in Carol’s face.

“What was that about?” McCoy asked.

“Mysteries intrigued him. Even if it’s not a case, what I told her might be enough to entice him to come and talk to us.” She looked down the street. “I just hope he doesn’t make us wait forever.”

“You and I both,” Kirk said.

The minutes ticked by, and it was long enough that Uhura and Spock joined them. “They aren’t charged. We’ll have to go someplace with an electrical outlet, but there are six of them,” she said.

“We’ll make sure we have everyone’s phone numbers programmed in, in case we have to get separated,” Kirk said as he took the phone that was handed to him. He was about to reply when the door opened and Sherlock Holmes looked at them. “Hey,” Kirk said after a moment of surprise.

“I have no distant relatives,” he said, looking at Carol. “Who are you?”

Carol panicked slightly. “You do. Just…not now.”

“Great,” McCoy muttered. “You’re going to tell a skeptic _that_?”

Sherlock leaned against the doorjamb, crossing his arms. “What do you mean?”

“I’m from—“

“Wales,” Kirk blurted out.

“You don’t sound Welsh,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. “And why would you be traveling with an American?”

“He’s a friend,” she replied. “And I’m not from Wales. I’m from London.”

Sherlock had been about to reply when he looked beyond them and his eyes widened. “That’s not possible.”

“What’s not possible?” Scotty asked.

“There is a doppelganger of me across the street,” he murmured.

“Khan!” Kirk hissed, turning around. He saw Khan staring at them, and then Khan turned and ran down the street. Kirk began to run after him, and he heard others behind him. But Khan was quicker, and soon he was lost in the crowds. “Damn it,” Kirk said, slowing down.

“How is there a man who looks exactly like me here in this city?” Sherlock asked. “And why did you call him Khan?”

Kirk looked over at Sherlock and saw Spock and the others catching up to him. “I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you the truth.”

“And what would the truth be?” Sherlock asked.

“That we’re from the distant future and that man who looks exactly like you is a dangerous criminal with superhuman strength and reflexes, and we need to capture him and take him back to our time,” Kirk said with a sigh.

“Great. Just great,” McCoy said. “Now he’s going to think we’re certifiably insane.”

“I definitely think the story is contrived, and preposterous to boot,” Sherlock said, scoffing slightly.

“Moriarty made you jump from that roof,” Carol said from behind him. “He talked to you first, told you that if you didn’t jump he’d kill your friends. That he had snipers set on them. And so you jumped off the roof, but Molly Hooper had told you how to fake your death. You were gone for three years, dismantling his criminal empire.”

Sherlock turned to her, a startled look on his face. “How do you know that? There are only three people in the world who know that.”

“It’s a family legend,” Carol said. “And if you don’t believe it, I can tell you more. I can tell you your entire life’s history.”

“How do I know you weren’t sent by Moriarty’s henchmen?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her.

“I wasn’t, but I don’t expect you to believe it. After all, your brother told Moriarty everything he needed to know to take you down. It was one of his biggest regrets.” Carol looked at him. “Ask me a question about anything Mycroft would have kept secret. I know all about you.”

“What bones did I break when Mycroft and I had the fight when I was ten, and how were they broken?” he asked.

“Your right leg and your right arm. You were in a tree reading and he demanded you get down. He climbed up a pulled you down, and you broke both bones breaking your fall. Your mother nearly disowned Mycroft for that, and it soured the relationship between the two of you even more,” Carol said confidently.

Sherlock’s eyes went wide. “Most people know I broke the bones but they don’t know how it happened,” he said quietly. “I lied to everyone who asked because I didn’t want them to know I fell out of a tree.” Then he looked at the others. “Perhaps I might be inclined to believe you. What is your name?”

“Carol. Carol Marcus,” she said. She then introduced the others before turning back to Sherlock. “I believe you are in serious danger. He knows where you live, and if you thought Moriarty was a threat Khan is beyond him.”

“Will my friends be in danger?” he asked.

“Yes,” Kirk said with a nod. “Khan won’t be above using them to get to you, now that he’s taken an interest in you.”

“Perhaps we should continue this conversation inside,” he murmured. 

“That is probably best,” Spock replied with a slight nod.

“Then follow me,” Sherlock said, leading them back to his home. “And then kindly explain the entire story to me.”

“All right,” Kirk said with a nod, and with that they began to walk back to Sherlock’s home. He just hoped Khan didn’t strike before they were ready, for the sake of Sherlock’s friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Sherlock took the story much better than expected, Kirk decided after it had been explained to him. It was a tight fit for all of them in the room, but they patiently explained everything to him and he asked questions. Three hours had passed by the time they were done. “And that’s all we know,” Kirk finished as he got to the part when they arrived in London.

“I would like to see the machine,” Sherlock said after a moment.

Scotty pulled it out of the bag and held it. “Don’t press the button,” he warned.

Sherlock came over and examined it, though he didn’t take it from Scotty. “Fascinating,” he murmured. “This travels through time and space, you said?”

Scotty nodded. “We were near Jupiter when we left.”

“I shouldn’t believe you,” he replied. “Everything I know to be true is screaming that this is not possible, and yet I find I believe you. The knowledge Miss Marcus has of my history was the key.” He looked over at Kirk. “You said I need to protect my friends and family?”

Kirk nodded. “He’s dangerous. He fired on my ship without regards for my crew after he thought he got his own family back, and that’s not counting what he did to Starfleet HQ.”

“I need to make some calls,” he said. “If you will excuse me for a moment.”

“Are you talking to John?” Carol asked him as he pulled out his phone.

Sherlock shook his head, and his face looked saddened. “He’s refusing to talk to me. After he punched me in the face he told me he wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Are any of those phones done charging?” Kirk asked Uhura.

“Four of them are,” she said with a nod. “And I’ve activated three of them. The other numbers are programmed in. Give me a moment to activate the fourth.”

“Give one to me, give another to Spock and keep one for yourself,” he said. “When you get the other phone done, give it to Bones.” She nodded. Then he turned back to Sherlock. “Do you know where he is?”

“John? Not really. But Mycroft might know.”

“Find out. I think he’s in the most danger, him and your contact at Scotland Yard. Those two are the most publicly associated with you. If he’s done any research on you he probably knows you aren’t your brother’s greatest fan.”

“What do you have in mind?” Sherlock asked, lowering his phone.

Kirk looked at the phone in his hand. “I’m going to go find your friend John, and you and Spock are going to get Greg Lestrade. Molly Hooper might also be in danger. I’ll have Nyota go to her.”

“She was coming over tonight,” Sherlock said. “She’s bound and determined to make sure I’m all right.”

“Then Nyota will wait here with her. Call them and tell them their lives are in danger,” Kirk said. “We’ll get them all here and figure out where to go from there.”

Sherlock was about to reply when his phone rang. “It’s Lestrade,” he said. He answered his phone. “Yes?” There was a moment of quiet, and then Sherlock was nodding. “I see. I’ll be right there.” He hung up. “There have been three suspicious deaths. Three men, one of whom was stripped to his underclothes. There is a strange burn mark on their chests.”

“Shit, that means Khan has a phaser,” Kirk said with a groan.

“Perhaps that is what he took off the table before he left,” Spock said.

“Probably. Okay, you two go to the crime scene and get Lestrade back here. But find out where John Watson is first so I can get him,” Kirk replied. “I don’t want any of your friends getting hurt by Khan.”

“I don’t either,” he said, dialing a number and putting the phone to his ear. He had called Molly first, and she answered after two rings. He didn’t wait for her greeting. “What is the earliest you can arrive at my home?”

“I could probably be there in thirty minutes,” she said. “Why?”

“I believe your life is in danger. I will explain later, but there are people who can protect you at my home.”

“I thought you got rid of the criminal network,” she replied.

“It’s a more…exotic threat,” he said. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do, Sherlock.”

“Then please come as quickly as possible.”

“Okay. I will.”

He had been about to hang up when he paused. “Do you know where John is?”

“I suppose he’s at the clinic, or about to get off from there,” she said. “He’s not really talking to me either, you know.”

“I need to get him. His life is in danger as well.”

“Of course. Try the clinic first. If he’s not there he’s probably at his home. I have the address if you need it.”

“I do. Thank you, Molly.” He went to a pad of paper. When she reeled off the address, he wrote it down and then tore the piece of paper off the pad, handing it to Kirk. “I need to go get Lestrade, but I will be home shortly. There will be two women here, Nyota and Carol. You will be safe with them.”

“Why am I getting a phone if I’m going to be staying here?” Bones asked Kirk quietly as Sherlock hung up on Molly and called his brother.

“Because you’re going to find a poker game and get us some money in case we need to stay a while,” Kirk said. “You are the card shark, after all.”

“I was not a card shark,” McCoy said sourly.

“Point is, you were good, right? We can’t all stay here. We need a place to sleep. Several places, preferably. I’m thinking it might be a good idea to get Lestrade, John, Molly and Mrs. Hudson to come with us.”

“Good luck explaining our story that many times,” he said.

“Sherlock will help,” Kirk said a little more loudly.

“I’ll help with what?” he asked, hanging up his phone.

“Convincing your friends they aren’t safe,” Kirk replied.

“I doubt they will believe your version of events.”

“Then come up with a convincing lie,” Kirk said as Uhura handed McCoy the fourth phone.

“I can do that,” Sherlock said with a nod. “There was one man I was unable to catch, Sebastian Moran. I will simply say he has sent a henchman to finish what Moriarty started three years ago.”

“Perfect.” Kirk handed the bag with the money to McCoy after taking some out. “Do you know where John is?”

“Mycroft said he was headed home now, but he usually stops off in a pub first a block from his home. The address of his home is on the slip of paper I handed you.” He looked at Spock. “Shall we be off?”

Spock nodded. “Yes.”

“Everyone, keep in contact. If anything happens, call me first, Spock second. Okay?” He got nods and agreements all around. Then he turned to Carol. “Make sure you keep Molly safe,” he said quietly. “I don’t want you to be erased from existing.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” she said with a nod.

“All right. Let’s get going.”

\--

Three years. Sherlock had been gone three years, and then he just shows up and expects everything to be okay? That was asking a bit much, as far as John was concerned. He looked at his half-empty pint and sighed. What was the point in drinking every night? He’d avoided doing it for the last two years, after spending the first year after Sherlock’s death in an alcohol fueled haze. Hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, and then for the last week he’s slid back into bad habits. This wasn’t like him at all, but then again, he’d gotten the shock of his life.

And it wasn’t as though there was anything waiting for him. His girlfriend Mary was out of town on a business conference, so it was going to be a night of bad telly and lack of sleep, just as it had been every day for the last seven days. He’d hoped by now he could have accepted that Sherlock Holmes really wasn’t dead and that he should be thankful and bounce right back into his old friendship, but that wasn’t happening. Hence the drinking and the sleepless nights. That was the way he chose to cope.

He finished the pint soon afterwards and got up from the bar. If he was at least going to attempt to sleep he needed to cut back on his alcohol consumption, he knew that. Two pints tonight should be enough. Maybe he’d be able to get some sleep. He needed it. He said good-bye to his newfound drinking buddies, the people at the bar who didn’t care that once upon a time he had been the best mate and faithful blogger to Sherlock Holmes. All they cared about was that he’d buy them a round. Free drinks and someone to commiserate had turned them into his best mates now.

He stepped out onto the sidewalk and pulled his coat tighter. It was September now, and getting chilly. He may have to start wearing his scarf soon. It was a good thing the pub was so close to his home, he thought. It meant he didn’t have to brave the cold for very long. He walked at a brisk pace, steady as ever, because two pints wasn’t near enough to cause drunkenness in him anymore, not even with two years sobriety flushed down the drain. His tolerance was as good as ever and besides, tonight it was just pints, not shots.

He slowed as he approached his home, though, and saw the familiar person standing there. _Damn him_ , he thought to himself. Of _course_ Sherlock would find out where he lived, and of _course_ he’d do the exact opposite of what he’d been told to do. Some things never changed, apparently. “Sherlock, I told you I didn’t want to see you right now,” he said with an exasperated sigh.

“Hello, John,” he said upon turning around. It took just a second to register, but then all his senses were screaming. He was wrong, he was _so_ wrong. This wasn’t Sherlock. The man who looked so much like his old friend held up an arm, and John only had a split second to look at the strange contraption he was holding before he heard “It’s a shame I’m not Sherlock” and then nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

“Lestrade,” Sherlock said as he ducked under the crime scene tape, Spock right behind him. “I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”

“More urgent than the case?” Lestrade asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Your life could very well depend on it,” Sherlock said.

“Introduce me to your friend first.”

“This is Mr. Spock,” Sherlock replied.

“Do you have a first name?” Lestrade asked Spock.

Spock was quiet for a moment. “No, I do not,” he replied.

Lestrade raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite peculiar. A bit like Prince or something like that, eh?”

“I do not know who you are referring to,” Spock said, looking slightly confused.

“Never mind,” Sherlock said before Lestrade began to speak again. He watched Lestrade’s gaze follow Spock as he looked at the bodies. “I need you to come with me. Your life is in danger.”

“I’m a copper. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing that the last three years, you know,” he said pointedly.

“Not from this threat,” he replied. “He is going to go after those I hold most dear. You remember what I told you about Sebastian Moran?”

“Yeah. Moriarty’s right hand man, correct?”

Sherlock nodded. “He has sent someone to go after everyone, finish what Moriarty threatened to do three years ago. He has sent one of his best men, and I do not think even you are safe.”

“Greg!” Sally called over from the bodies. “Will you tell his new assistant to back away from the bodies?”

“I am merely observing the nature of their wounds,” Spock said.

“Oh, Sherlock got a weird one,” Sally muttered as soon as Lestrade and Sherlock got closer. She glared at Sherlock slightly. “Where do you pick up your assistant, hmm? The local asylum?”

“Do those marks correspond with what you know the weapons can do?” Sherlock asked Spock, who was gazing at the men who Khan had stripped down.

Spock nodded. “Yes, when they are set to kill. Though normally someone is wearing clothing and so it does not leave any mark.”

“What is he talking about?” Lestrade asked Sherlock before turning to Spock. “What are you talking about?”

“Standard issue Starfleet phasers,” Spock said, looking up from the body.

“Is it some sort of laser gun?” Lestrade asked.

“I suppose technically yes,” Spock said with a nod.

“How do you know how they work?” Sally asked, looking at Spock shrewdly.

“I’ve had to use them before,” he said with a slight shrug.

“Where were you four hours ago?” Lestrade asked Spock intently.

“With me, trying to convince me I was in danger,” Sherlock said, rolling his eyes. “I promise, I will explain everything if you will just come with me, Greg.”

Lestrade blinked. “Blimey. You never use my first name.”

“Then that should show you how important this is.” Sherlock looked at him. “Please. I do not want your death on my conciensce.”

“Your death? What on Earth is he talking about?” Sally asked, looking at Lestrade. “Don’t tell me this has to do with that whole Moriarty mess.”

“It does,” Sherlock said, looking at her. After a moment her gaze swept from Lestrade to Sherlock, and she looked him dead in the eye without flinching under his gaze. “And right now I have the means to keep him safe.”

“Something big is going on, isn’t it?” she murmured, not looking away.

Sherlock nodded. “Yes. Please, trust me.”

“You know I don’t trust you. Never have, probably never will,” Sally said. Sherlock opened his mouth to respond, but Sally held up her hand. “ _But_ , I don’t think you would lie about a threat to Greg. Go with him. I’ll cover the scene.”

“Thank you, Sally,” Sherlock said.

Sally blinked. “Did I just hear ‘thank you’ come out of your mouth, directed towards me?” she asked, her voice sounding shocked.

“Yes. If you start to trust me you might even hear it more often,” Sherlock replied.

“Oh.” She then turned to Lestrade. “Go ahead. Go. I’ve got this covered.”

“Fine,” Lestrade said. He turned, and Sherlock and Spock followed him, the three of them ducking under the crime scene tape when they got to it. “You better have a damn good explanation for the cause of death,” he said to Spock as they got to his car.

“It all depends on how much of a skeptic you are,” Spock said.

“I’ve seen and heard a lot over the years. Try me.”

Spock nodded. “Very well. But not until we are in the vehicular transportation.”

Lestrade looked at Sherlock. “You really did pick a weird one. I miss John already.”

“You and I both,” Sherlock said after a moment. “I just pray I was able to get to him in time.”

\--

“So, how do you know Sherlock?” Molly asked Carol as the two of them and Uhura were sitting at Sherlock’s table, sipping tea and eating biscuits.

“I’m a distant relative,” she said with a smile. “I came to pay him a visit and rather got swept up in all the madness.”

“Why does he think you can protect me?” she asked, a slight frown on her face.

“I’ve had training,” Carol said.

“So you were a soldier?”

“Not quite. I’m a weapons expert, though.” She smiled a bit wider. “I’m called a science officer where I am from.”

“Where are you from, anyway? Your accent sounds polished, like you’re from here.”

“I am, but I’ve been away for a long while,” she said. She knew she needed to change the subject. “Tell me more about yourself. I’ve always thought being a pathologist would be an interesting career.”

“I wanted to be a surgeon, but my hands weren’t steady enough for the specialty I wanted,” Molly said with a slight smile. “I had a fantastic professor in university who convinced me to become a pathologist, though. I’m glad she did. I’ve never regretted my career choice.” She took a sip of her tea. “Do you like your jobs?”

“I love my job,” Uhura said. “I love languages, and I get to use so many of them as a communications officer.”

“Is that how you two met?” Molly asked. “Working on the same ship?”

Uhura nodded. “Yes. We just got done with a five year mission.”

“Where did you go?” Molly asked.

Uhura looked at Carol. “Very very far away,” she said slowly.

Carol nodded. “We went to so many different places, I don’t know how to describe them.”

Molly looked from one woman to the other. “You’re keeping something from me, I can tell. Spill it.”

“Damn,” Carol muttered, leaning in towards Uhura. “I don’t know if I can go through the story all over again.”

“Do you think she’ll believe us? She _is_ your…you know,” Uhura said in a hushed voice.

“I’m right here, and I can hear both of you,” Molly said. “What am I to you, Carol? And I want the truth, or I’ll walk right out of here, promise to Sherlock or not.”

“You’re one of my ancestors,” Carol said after a moment’s silence. “Many, many, _many_ generations back.”

“So…you’re saying you’re from the future,” Molly said, her eyes wide.

“Yes,” Carol said with a nod.

“You’re absolutely mental,” Molly said, standing up. “Why would Sherlock trust my safety with the two of you?”

“You fancy Sherlock. You have for years, ever since the first time you met him.”

“How did you know that?” Molly asked, blinking slightly.

“You are my many times removed grandmother,” she said. “Sherlock is my many times removed grandfather.”

Molly slowly sank back into her seat. “Prove it. Tell me something only I would know.”

“The first time he kissed you was on the cheek, at a Christmas party. He’d said hurtful things to you, and you stood up to him. Family legend says that was the day he reconsidered the place you would hold in his life. You helped him fake his death by telling him to place a rubber ball under his armpit on the side where his heart was. It would cut off his pulse to anyone who checked. After he jumped from the roof he was taken to your morgue. You set his broken wrist and you sent him off with his brother, and he called or texted you every day that he was gone. You were the first person he went to when he returned.”

Molly’s eyes widened. “Bloody hell. How could you _possibly_ know all that?”

“Sherlock Holmes fascinated me as a child. I read everything published on him, and for my tenth birthday my mother gave me your journals and copies of John’s blog posts. They had been passed down through the generations.” Carol blushed slightly. “I’d always admired him. And you. I was proud to be your descendant.”

Molly looked dazed. “It’s true, all of what you just said. Only three people knew that: Sherlock, his brother and I. There…there’s no other people who would know.”

“I’m sorry it’s such a shock,” Carol said, hesitantly reaching over to place a hand on Molly’s arm. When she didn’t shrug it off she gripped it lightly. “And I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but you had to know. It’s important that I keep you safe. Now you know why.”

“So Sherlock and I…in the future…we…?” Molly asked.

“You get married and have children,” Carol said. “And they have children, and _they_ have children, and it keep going until my mother has me. I’ll probably be the last of the line in this part of the family.”

“There isn’t anyone you fancy?” Molly asked.

Carol shook her head. “There is, but it would never work. He isn’t the type to settle down.”

Uhura’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tell me you like _Jim_.”

Carol blushed slightly. “I do. And don’t breathe a word of it or I’ll tell Spock what you told me that he doesn’t want anyone to know.”

Uhura’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me,” Carol said. The two women looked at each other. “I’ll continue to keep your secret if you keep mine, all right?”

“Fine,” Uhura said with a nod.

“I get the feeling I’m missing something,” Molly said.

“Quite a bit, but it’s not important,” Carol said, turning back to Molly with a smile. “Do you believe me?”

“I suppose I have to,” Molly said. “There’s so much I would like to know, though.”

“Well, I don’t know how much of history will be changing because of our visit,” Carol said with a frown. “For all I know I go back to my time and everything is drastically different.”

“Or maybe this was all supposed to happen and your timeline remains the same,” Uhura pointed out.

“There was no mention of this visit in Molly’s journals,” Carol said. “So I get the feeling things will be different.”

“Well, you haven’t been erased from existence yet so I assume Sherlock and I get together regardless,” Molly said. “So there is that.”

“That is true,” Carol said, tilting her head slightly.

“Well, considering your past and my future might be changing, I suppose we should find some other topic for discussion,” Molly said. “So…is there anything you would like to know? That you don’t know already?”

Carol smiled at her. “Quite a bit, actually. I always admired you greatly.”

Molly blushed slightly. “Then ask away.”

“Very well,” Carol asked, her grin widening. “Let me think of a place to start first.”

“Take your time. I have the feeling we have all night.”

\--

Kirk swore as he got to the flat. He’d gone to the bar first, just in case, and they said he’d left a half hour before he got there. He let himself into John’s flat and poked around, only leaving when he thought he heard someone out in the hallway. John Watson was nowhere to be found, and this posed a problem.

He pulled out his phone and called Spock. He just hoped the pointy eared bastard could figure out how to use the phone, though Uhura had gotten them flip phones that worked much like their communicators. After a moment, Spock answered. “Did you get Greg Lestrade?” Kirk asked upon Spock’s greeting.

“He is in the vehicle with us. He is taking the news better than expected,” Spock said.

“That’s great. Do you know if Molly Hooper arrived at Sherlock’s home?”

“She arrived there roughly twenty minutes ago,” Spock said. “Nyota called to tell me when you didn’t pick up.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you two did well because John Watson is nowhere to be found. He left the bar an hour ago and never made it home.”

“You surmise that Khan has gotten him.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. I have no clue where he could have taken him, or…”

“Or what, Jim?”

“Or if he’s even alive,” Kirk said quietly.

“Khan has access to a phaser. It was set to kill at some point and used on three unknown individuals.”

“Shit,” Kirk swore. “So for all we know he could have killed John already.”

“That is highly unlikely,” Spock said. “We know Khan has seen us here in London. He is most likely holding John Watson as a…I believe the term you would use is ‘bargaining chip.’”

“That makes sense,” Kirk said, nodding slowly. “But what does he want?”

“I’m afraid we will only know when we see him face to face,” Spock replied.

“That’s what I’m afraid of. There’s a good chance I could get several people killed while confronting him, especially people who have to stay alive to make sure other people I hold dear stay in existence.”

“You are talking about Carol Marcus and her lineage.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. I’m not going to lose any more crew to that madman.”

“We will do our best to ensure her lineage carries on.”

“But how much of her past has been changed by us being here?”

Spock was quiet for a moment. “I do not know.”

“That’s what worries me, Spock,” Kirk said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Get all of the people in your car back to 221B Baker Street. I’ll meet you guys there soon.”

“Very well, Jim.”

Kirk hung up then and looked around. Khan could be anywhere, and now he had a hostage. This was just going to get worse before it got any better, Kirk realized, and he didn’t like that at all.


	7. Chapter 7

He had no clue where he was, but the feeling was all too familiar. This reminded him so very much of the night Moriarty had grabbed him off the street just inches from home, strapped a bomb to his chest and took him to that damn pool. The sense of wrongness that had pervaded every inch of his being when he saw the man who looked like Sherlock but wasn’t, it was stronger now. He’d been spared, but he damn well that man just might kill him later anyway. He was in a chair, facing the man, and the man was at a table, fiddling with something.

“I see you’re awake,” the man said. Christ, it hadn’t been a trick, what he’d thought he’d heard earlier. He sounded like Sherlock as well. This man could very well be a clone of his former friend. “By now you have figured out I am not your friend.”

John decided to play dumb. It had worked with some of the people Sherlock had dealt with when they had worked together, so maybe it would work on this man. “Yes,” he said with a slight nod. The man had not tied him up, and that surprised him. But he wasn’t going to make a move, because as long as he had that…whatever type of gun it was, that man had the advantage. “Who are you?”

The man tilted his head slightly. “I suppose you can call me John Harrison, though that is not my real name.”

Maybe playing dumb wasn’t going to be an option, because now he was curious. “Why use that alias?”

“I never chose it. It was chosen for me. It has served a purpose in the past,” he said with a slight shrug. “There are those here in your time who know my true name, and I suppose they’ve shared it with others. Perhaps your friend Sherlock Holmes. I saw them talking to him earlier.”

Now he was just confused. “My time?”

“I am from the future, the far distant future. I came here as a mistake, though I suppose I can use that to my advantage. I had not expected there to be a man who looked exactly like me here. I can find a way to use him.”

John snorted an indelicate laugh. “Good luck trying to get Sherlock to do something under duress. He’s stubborn as a mule.”

“Ah, but I have you,” the man said. He had a grin that reminded John way too much of Moriarty. Both of those men were cut from the same cloth, he could tell. They were true psychopaths, the type of men who were brilliant and knew it, could do elaborate and evil things and get away with it. He had to be extremely wary about him. “Not all of the technology from my time works here, but some does. I was able to access the entire history of you, your friend Sherlock and the rest of his friends. I found out something very interesting.”

“Yeah?” John asked.

“There is a member of the crew that has come to capture me that is a descendant of Sherlock Holmes. If they want her to remain in existence, they will give me what I want. That is his weakness, you see. His crew is his family, just as mine is to me. I will use it against him, and I will get what I want. He will do anything for his family.”

“Whose weakness?”

“Captain James Tiberius Kirk. I suppose you could consider him my enemy, though he isn’t all that significant. He is wily, though, and prone to do things that are unexpected. Following me to the past was one such action. Whatever plans he has formed with your friend are another.” He paused. “You are Sherlock Holmes’s weakness, aren’t you?”

“He’s not my friend anymore,” John said with a slight shrug. “I told him to bugger off and leave me alone.”

“Ah, but just because you asked for him to leave you alone does not mean he does not hold you in the highest regard,” the man said. “He faked his death to keep you safe. I believe he will do more to than that for you if I press him hard enough.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let him.”

The man looked surprised. “Oh?”

“You can go ahead and kill me. Present my dead body to him with ribbon and bows. And all you’ll do is get him to come after you until you’re dead and gone, dust on the wind,” John said smugly.

“That’s assuming I can be killed,” the man said with a smirk. “I am genetically engineered to be better. To be the best specimen of humanity there is.”

“A bullet to the heart can still kill you,” John said with a shrug. “or a bullet to the brain. Or both.”

“That’s what you think,” he said. “Others have tried to kill me. Others have failed.”

“Others weren’t Sherlock Holmes. You’ll see I’m right.” John said it with all the bravado he had. He’d just enticed the guy to kill him. He hoped he didn’t call his bluff.

The man nodded. “We shall see.” He picked something off the table and came closer. John recognized it as his own cell phone. “Call your former friend.”

“I don’t have his number,” John said.

“Surely you have the number of someone who can contact him,” the man said.

John hesitated. He had Molly’s number, even though he wasn’t really talking to her. He also had Mycroft’s number, and so he debated who he was going to call. After a moment Mycroft won out. “I have someone’s number.”

“Call them. Tell them I will exchange you for the machine used to bring me here. I am fairly sure Captain Kirk has brought it with him. Only Sherlock Holmes and Captain Kirk are allowed to come. If you deviate from that too much I will kill you where you sit.”

John nodded slowly, taking the phone. He pulled up Mycroft’s number. There was an answering click after two rings. “You’ve been taken,” Mycroft said. “By someone who looks like Sherlock, but isn’t.”

“Hello, Mr. Holmes,” John said.

“He is listening in. Tell me what he wants you to say. We are trying to trace the call.”

“The man who has taken me, John Harrison, wants to make an exchange. He wants Sherlock and the man known as Captain James Tiberius Kirk to deliver the machine used to bring him here to him. He will give me to them in exchange.”

“Very well. When and where does he want to meet them?”

“Where do you want to meet them?” John asked the man.

“The man frowned slightly. It was obvious he did not know London. “Your home, I suppose. In an hour.”

“At my flat, in an hour,” John said. “Oh, and Mr. Holmes?”

“Yes?”

“Make sure it’s just the two of them. He’ll kill me if there’s more than them.”

“I’ll have snipers trained nearby anyway.”

“Good-bye, Mr. Holmes.” John hung up and handed the phone back to the man. “There. He’ll come.”

“Mr. Holmes,” the man murmured. “You called his brother.”

John nodded. “He keeps tabs on his brother. If anyone would be able to reach him it would be his brother.”

“It’s peculiar that you called him Mr. Holmes.”

“I’m not really keen on him right now, either. He doesn’t deserve me using his first name.”

“There is that, I suppose.” He pocketed the phone without turning it off, then went to the table. “I’m afraid I need you to be less chatty again,” he said as he picked up the strange gun. He aimed it at John’s chest. “I would apologize, but the truth is, I’m not really sorry.”

John watched him pull the trigger, and his last thought before he was out again was that he hoped the man was just going to stun him, not kill him. And then there was nothing.

\--

Sherlock had just gotten back to his home, bringing a bewildered Lestrade inside, when his phone rang. He saw it was his brother. “Do you have news of John?” he asked the moment he answered. He immediately set the phone on speakerphone for the benefit of Lestrade, Spock, Molly, Carol and Uhura.

“I do. He has been captured by a man named John Harrison.”

“Who is that?” Sherlock asked.

“That is Khan Noonien Singh’s alias, given to him by Admiral Marcus,” Spock said.

“Who is in the room with you?” Mycroft asked.

“You wouldn’t believe him if he told you,” Lestrade said. “I don’t know quite if I believe them myself.”

“They are not from here, are they? I saw a group of people taking money from an ATM on surveillance earlier. They were in strange dress, and one had pointed ears. They did it again not far from your home.”

“You didn’t get all the cameras!” Carol called to the table, where Scotty was sitting, concentrating on the machine.

Scotty sighed. “I _tried_ , though.”

“They are from the future,” Sherlock said slowly. “The man they are chasing is the one who looks like me, the man who took John.”

“I saw him on surveillance as well. I thought it was you at first, dear brother, until he pulled out a strange weapon and killed three men. Then I knew it could not be you. You might kill, but only in self-defense.”

“Good to know you know that,” Sherlock murmured.

“Do you know where John is?” Molly asked.

“The man you called Khan has him in an abandoned building near John’s home. He had John call me from his cell phone and then he did not turn it off.”

“I’m going after him,” Sherlock said.

“Khan had demands,” Mycroft said as there was a knock on the door. “He wants you and a man named James Kirk to bring him a machine, the machine he used to get here.”

“Hold on a moment, Mycroft,” Sherlock said. “Lestrade, get the door. Be prepared for anything. If it is a young man in a leather jacket, let him in.”

“Right,” Lestrade said with a nod, unholstering his gun. There was a tense wait and then moments later Lestrade returned with Kirk and McCoy. “Kirk has arrived. Where does he want us to meet him?”

“I am sending snipers to his location now,” Mycroft said.

“Regular bullets won’t kill him,” McCoy said. “His cells regenerate too fast. You’d have to chop off his head or something to kill him, and even then I’m not sure if that would do the trick.”

“Who is that?” Mycroft asked.

“Leonard McCoy. He’s a doctor,” Kirk said. “I’m James Kirk. Khan has Sherlock’s friend John?”

“Yes. We know where he is at.”

“Don’t send snipers. We have technology that will stun him. We could probably use some handcuffs or shackles, though,” Kirk said.

“I have both,” Sherlock said.

McCoy gave him a strange look. “Why on Earth would you have those?”

“Experiments,” Sherlock said with a slight shrug. “I will accompany them.”

“No. I’m not putting you or Ms. Hooper in harm’s way,” Kirk said. 

Sherlock opened his mouth to protest but Molly had come over, laying a hand on his arm. “It’s too risky,” she replied.

“Why?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her.

“If you die now Carol will never have existed,” she replied.

“It’s true. You do not have your child for at least another five years, I believe,” Carol said.

“I don’t like this,” Sherlock said quietly.

“We can get Khan and get your friend back,” Kirk said. “I promise.”

Sherlock looked at him intently, and then nodded. “Very well. Mycroft, what is the address where they are at?”

Mycroft rattled off an address three blocks from John’s flat. Carol had grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and wrote it down, handing it to Kirk. “What will you do once you subdue him?”

“Take him back to our time,” Kirk said. “Put him in a prison he’ll never escape from.”

“I don’t think we can do that, Jim,” Scotty said, getting up from the table and coming over to them. “I’ve been studying the machine. It’s not finished yet. It can only go to the past. It canna take us back to the future.”

“Damn it,” Kirk said. “We need him to finish it.”

“Do you think we can make him?” Uhura asked.

“I doubt it. And I wouldn’t trust a word coming from his mouth,” McCoy said.

“I can probably do it,” Scotty said. “But I don’t know if I have the tools we need. And I don’t know if it will work more than once. If we don’t make it back the first time, we might never _get_ back.”

Kirk shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. We go get Khan and we figure out what to do with the machine afterwards. Getting him is priority number one, though. He’s already killed twelve people since he woke up, and that’s twelve too many.”

Lestrade’s eyes widened. “I’m going with you.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Kirk said.

“I’m a copper. I’m in danger every time I go to work,” Lestrade said, crossing his arms. “I’m _going_ with you.”

“We could use the extra help,” Spock said quietly. “If we leave most of the crew here it would help to have another man there who knows how to shoot a phaser. It does not appear to be that much different than the gun he carries on his person.”

“Fine, fine,” Kirk grumbled. “He can come with us. Carol, Nyota, you two stay here with Scotty and the others. Give Greg your phaser, Scotty.”

Scotty nodded and went back to his bag. “Let me quickly show you how it works,” he said to Greg, and they moved off to the side.”

“I will keep in contact with you, in case he moves from his location,” Mycroft said. “Give me a telephone number, and put your phone on vibrate. If he leaves, I will text you.”

Kirk pulled out his phone, found the number and gave him the number of his phone. “Show me how to set it to vibrate?” he asked, Sherlock and Molly.

“Here, let me,” Molly said, and Kirk handed her his phone. She fiddled with it for a moment, then handed it back. “It should vibrate if he calls you instead of ringing.”

“Thank you.” He looked at Spock and McCoy. “You two come with me. Bring your kit in case John has been hurt, Bones.”

“All right,” McCoy said with a nod, shifting his bag slightly.

“We’ll leave now,” Kirk said towards Sherlock’s phone. He looked over at Lestrade, who had slipped the phaser into his coat pocket. “Hopefully he won’t leave before we get there.”

“I will text you with his exact location as soon as I get the blueprints to the building,” Mycroft said.

“Thank you,” Kirk said. Then he looked at Sherlock. “We’ll get your friend back.”

“Please do,” Sherlock said quietly.

“All right. Everyone who’s coming, let’s head out,” Kirk said. The four men going left, leaving the others standing around the phone.

“Do you believe they will find him alive?” Mycroft asked to no one in particular.

“I have to believe they will,” Sherlock said quietly. Molly came up and squeezed his arm gently, and he gave her a small smile. “They beat him once. They can do it again.”

“I just hope you are right,” Mycroft said.


	8. Chapter 8

“This won’t kill him, correct?” Lestrade said as they slowly pulled up to the building where Khan and John were.

Kirk nodded. “They’re all set to stun. We may need to hit him all at once to get him to go down, though. These are upgraded, but we’ve never had to use them before. With regular phasers we hit him once and he was down for only a few moments, if he went down at all.”

“Good. Because even though he’s killed so many people I don’t like the idea of killing him without a trial.” Then he sighed. “I don’t like the idea of sending him away without being tried for the three murders here, either, but I suppose if I took this case to the magistrate he’d go on about being from the future and he’d be put in an asylum.”

“Which he would probably easily escape from,” McCoy pointed out. “Cryogenic sleep and a prison on Jupiter is better.”

“Doctor McCoy is right,” Spock said. “Your prisons are not built to hold a man such as him.”

“Well, the sooner all of you go back to whenever you’re from, the better I will feel,” Lestrade said. “Has Mycroft texted you yet?”

“No, which means they’re still in there,” Kirk said. The four of them got out of the car. “Be extremely careful. There’s always the possibility he left the phone and we’re walking into a trap.”

“The probability of that is at about 74.8 percent,” Spock said.

“Don’t quote statistics at a time like this,” McCoy said, checking his phaser.

Kirk pulled out the phone and sent a text message to the number Mycroft had texted to him earlier. After a moment the phone vibrated. “He’s on the second floor, last room to the left. Mycroft Holmes has eyes on him. He’s still in there.” He pocketed the phone and then checked his phaser. “We go in quick and quiet, okay?”

“Are we taking the stairs?” McCoy asked.

Kirk nodded. “Safer that way.”

“I agree,” Spock said. They made it to the door and Kirk opened the door, going in first. Lestrade was right behind him, then Spock, then McCoy.

They made their way to the flight of stairs and quickly made their way up. When they got to the stairs Kirk began to move forward. “Don’t talk to him, just drop him,” Kirk whispered to the others. He got nods of agreement afterwards. They made their way to the last room on the left. Kirk put his hand on the knob. “One…two…three,” he whispered, and he threw the door open.

They managed to catch Khan by surprise, and Kirk and Lestrade fired at him the moment they were in the room. Khan didn’t have time to say a word before he fell down. “Hopefully he’s out for a while this time,” McCoy muttered.

“John,” Lestrade said, putting the phaser back in his coat pocket and going to John. McCoy followed him. “Is…is he dead?”

McCoy pulled out a small machine and pressed it against John’s chest. “No, he was just stunned. He’ll wake up in a half hour or so.”

“That’s good news,” Kirk said. He was standing over Khan, pointing his phaser at him. “Have those handcuffs, Greg?”

“Right here,” Lestrade said, leaving John and McCoy and going over to Khan. He pulled out the handcuffs and snapped them on Khan’s wrists one side at a time. “How long do you think he’ll be out?”

“I’m not sure. Carol said maybe an hour, probably less. We need to hurry up and get him back to Sherlock’s place.” He looked around. “Spock, grab his phaser off the table. We don’t want someone in this time using it.”

“Yes, Captain,” Spock said, stowing his own phaser and retrieving the one Khan had stolen.

“Let’s get them both in the car,” Kirk said. “Think we can shove Khan in the trunk?”

“It will be a tight fit,” Lestrade said. “But I think we can do that.”

“Good. Then let’s get him in before he wakes up.”

\--

John was coming around just as Lestrade pulled into the alley behind Sherlock’s home. “Where am I?” he asked, his voice quiet.

“With friends,” Lestrade said from the seat in front.

“Greg,” John said, relief in his voice. “What happened to the man who kidnapped me?”

“He’s in the trunk,” Kirk said from the seat next to Lestrade. He turned to face John. “James Kirk.”

“You’re the one he wanted to make the exchange with,” John said quietly.

Kirk nodded. “Didn’t go quite according to his plan, though, thanks to Mycroft Holmes.”

“You mean I owe Mycroft my life? Again?” John asked.

“Afraid so,” Lestrade said with a grin. “He’ll probably never let you forget that.”

“Who are you two?” he asked, turning first to Spock and then to McCoy.

“Commander Spock,” Spock replied.

“Dr. Leonard McCoy,” McCoy said.

“Are you three also not from here?” John asked as McCoy opened the door and got out, Spock following.

“Yeah,” Kirk said. “We’re a long way from home.”

“Long time from home, too,” McCoy said.

“True,” Kirk said with a grin. Suddenly banging was heard from the trunk. “I think he woke up.”

“Can’t we just stun him again?” Lestrade asked. “It will make it easier to get him inside.”

“I don’t see why not,” Kirk said with a nod. “You open the trunk and I’ll stun him.” Kirk opened his door and walked around to the trunk. “One…two...three!” he called out. Lestrade popped open the trunk, and Kirk grinned at Khan before hitting him in the chest with a phaser beam. Khan stopped struggling again. “This should not make me as happy as it does,” he murmured.

“What was that, Captain?” Spock asked.

“Our dear captain is taking just a _little bit_ too much pleasure in this,” McCoy said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, I died of radiation poisoning because of him,” Kirk said.

“And if it hadn’t been for his blood you would still be dead,” McCoy pointed out.

Kirk started to reply, and then stopped. “Okay, you have a point.” The other men had come around to him now. “Let’s get him out and haul him upstairs.”

“I would be glad to help,” John said.

“He really does look an awful lot like Sherlock,” Lestrade murmured. “It’s really uncanny.”

“Well, hopefully we’ll all be out of your hair soon and you’ll only have to look at one man who looks like your friend,” McCoy said. “Let’s stop talking and get him out, shall we?”

It took ten minutes, but soon Khan was deposited in a chair and Sherlock was attaching the shackles to his wrists and ankles. “That should hold him for now,” Sherlock said.

“I can’t believe we have him,” Uhura said. “Does this seem just a bit too easy to you guys?”

“It does seem rather easy,” Spock said. “Captain, I think this might be part of some larger plan of his.”

“Then we’ll just have to wait until he wakes up to find out what it is,” Kirk said with a shrug. “I’m willing to do that.”

“We can’t all stay here,” Carol said. “I doubt there is enough room for us.”

“There are rooms, though there are not enough beds,” Sherlock said. “Most likely I will stay awake all night, so one or two of you may make use of my bed.”

“How long do you want us to stay?” Lestrade asked.

“Until he is no longer a threat,” Kirk said. “Until we can take him back to our time, I guess.”

“And how long do you think that will take?” John asked. He looked over at Sherlock. “Because I’m still angry at him.”

“And you have every right to be,” Sherlock said. “But I hope you will tolerate me until we are sure you are safe. Even if you do not consider me your friend any more I still consider you mine. It would pain me greatly if anything were to happen to you.”

“Oh, how touching,” Khan sneered. Everyone turned to face him. He was slightly drooped, but he straightened himself up as best he could. “So, Kirk, you got what you wanted. You have me in custody. But do not think you will get me back to your time.”

“Oh, I will,” Kirk said. “It’s just a matter of when.”

“Or have you forgotten the how?” Khan said. “None of you understand that machine. You’ll never get back.”

“I think I’ve got it,” Scotty said from the table. “Or at least I hope I do. But it will take time and supplies I don’t have.”

Kirk watched as Khan smirked. “You have no idea how much I want to punch that smirk off your face,” Kirk said.

“Didn’t you try that before? And look how well that turned out.” Khan looked over at Scotty. “You need things that might be from this time, but only I know what they are.”

“And you’re going to tell us,” Kirk said.

“Or what?” Khan spat back.

“I’ll tase you,” Kirk said with a shrug. “Hurts a hell of a lot more than a phaser on stun.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Khan said, his gaze challenging.

“Sherlock?” Kirk said, moving out of the way.

Sherlock nodded, pointed the taser at Khan, and fired. The two electrodes clung to Khan and the man jerked as the electrical current went through him. “This may not kill you, but it will hurt you,” Sherlock said.

“Stop!” Khan yelled. Sherlock depressed the electrodes. “That is a barbaric weapon,” he said, panting slightly as he caught his breath.

“And we’ll _keep_ using it on you until you tell us how to fix the machine and get us back home,” Kirk said, smirking at Khan.

Khan glared back. “And what’s to stop me from lying to you?”

“Because you’re coming back with us every time we use that machine,” Kirk said, his smirk becoming slightly more evil looking. “If we have to jump all the way back to the prehistoric era before you tell us how to get home, we will. And just remember that your crew is still in our time.”

“What?” Khan said, shocked.

“We removed your crew from the torpedos before you transported them onto the ship,” Spock said. “I did not lie to you when I said those were your torpedos. You did not ask about your crew.”

“They are still alive?” Khan asked.

Kirk nodded. “Safe in their cryotubes, somewhere back on Earth, guarded by Starfleet.”

Khan looked at him, a look challenging Kirk, hinting that he might call his bluff. Kirk held his gaze, and after a moment Khan’s look was less challenging. “You’re not lying.”

“I wouldn’t lie about that,” Kirk said. “You tell us how to get back home and I’ll make sure they stay safe.”

“Why should I tell you how to get home? I will never see them again,” Khan said. “Take me back to the past with the machine. Leave me to my fate.”

“Well, even if you can’t be near them, just think about what might happen if we _don’t_ bring you back,” Kirk said. “What’s to stop Starfleet from ejecting every single one of those cryotubes into deep space? After all, if you’re such a threat then maybe it’s better to be safe than sorry. You get us back to our time, I’ll see if I can get them all moved to the same place you’re going to be. They’ll be safe there.”

Khan sighed. “That still doesn’t mean I should help.”

Kirk looked at Scotty. “How far back can you send that machine?”

“Quite far,” Scotty said.

“Prehistoric era?” Kirk asked.

“Possibly. Why?”

“He wants us to leave him to his fate,” Kirk said with a shrug. “Let’s let his fate be right about the time the ice age hits.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Khan said, his eyes wide.

“I promised _I_ wouldn’t kill you. I didn’t promise I wouldn’t let nature do it.”

“If you send me back you will never get home,” Khan pointed out.

“I’m sure we can all acclimate to this era,” Kirk said with a shrug, looking away from Khan to each of his crew.

“You wouldn’t strand your crew here,” Khan said smugly.

“If he says we will stay, then we will stay,” Spock said. The others nodded in agreement.

Khan looked from Kirk to Spock, then the others. After a moment he turned back to Kirk, who stood with his arms crossed. “You’re bluffing.”

“Do I look like I’m bluffing?” Kirk said. “My crew has agreed to it. We’re willing to wait it out.”

“Then wait you shall,” Khan said. “I have no intention of going back into the cryotube.”

“Okay then,” Kirk said with a nod. Then he turned to Sherlock. “You said you would be up all night, right?”

Sherlock nodded. “I may need a few hours of sleep at some point, but I will be awake most of the night.”

“Then you and I will take him down to the basement while everyone else gets settled in. I think we’re going to be here for a while.”

“I can help you take him down to the basement,” Lestrade said. “Sherlock should probably start arranging for places for us to sleep.”

“Good idea,” Kirk said with a nod. Then he turned back to Khan. “Let’s just see how long you can hold out.”

Khan looked at him defiantly. “As long as it takes.”

“We’ll see.”


	9. Chapter 9

Lestrade had arranged with Sally for cots from the emergency services area to be brought to Sherlock’s home, off the books. She didn’t say anything as she made the arrangements, knowing her boss had a reason. She was there to see them delivered and when Sherlock thanked her yet again for the help she blinked and stared at him as if he had grown another head. Lestrade watched, a slightly amused look on his face, and when Sally left he turned to Sherlock. “It’s going to take her a while to get used to that, I bet,” he said.

“I’m making it a point to be nicer and more considerate. It would not hurt to have more allies at Scotland Yard,” he replied as he picked up the last cot to be delivered.

“It took a while, but she came around faster than most that you weren’t a fraud. Did some investigating on her own time when it looked like I might be sacked over the whole mess. She got that reporter to admit it was all lies.”

Sherlock looked at Lestrade, surprised. “I didn’t know she did that.”

“She isn’t a bad person, you know. I think the two of you might get along if you keep up the personality changes. You owe her a lot.”

“I suppose I do,” Sherlock said with a nod. He nodded towards the door and Lestrade opened it. Sherlock carried the cot in and set it in the sitting room. “This is the last of them.”

“I am quite surprised by the amount of guests we have,” Mrs. Hudson said. She had made tea for everyone. “Do we really have someone in the basement room who is willing to hurt everyone in this room?”

Sherlock nodded. “Not just hurt. Kill.”

“What a dreadful man,” Mrs. Hudson said with a shudder. She handed a cup of tea to Scotty, who took it with a smile before going back to the machine. “About how long will everyone be here?”

“Until accommodations can be made to take the man back somewhere where he cannot hurt us,” Sherlock replied. “He would escape too easily from a regular jail cell.”

“The sooner he’s out of my home the better,” Mrs. Hudson replied. She poured another cup and handed it to Uhura. “All of you seen to be from America, except you, Carol. How did you meet?”

“We were in an exploration program together,” Carol said with a slight frown, looking at Molly.

“I can finish serving the tea,” Molly said as she stood up. She smiled at Mrs. Hudson. “We’ll try to be quiet and give you some peace.”

“Oh, thank you, dear. I’m just not used to there being guests. Not many of my friends have stayed, and with John and Sherlock gone for so long…” She turned to John and smiled, and he grinned back. “It’s good to have people here. This place was so empty after you left.”

“I should have visited more,” John said. “I apologize, Mrs. Hudson.”

“I hope the two of you work out your differences,” she said, looking from John to Sherlock. “You two are good friends. You shouldn’t be fighting.”

“It’s complicated,” John said with a sigh.

“No, it’s not. He saved your life. You should remember that.” Mrs. Hudson left the tea tray and went over to John, giving him a hug. “If you need anything I’ll be in my part of the flat.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson,” Sherlock said. Mrs. Hudson gave him one last smile and then left. Sherlock handed the last cot to McCoy and then looked around. “I suppose I shall go see how our prisoner is doing.”

“Is it strange, seeing someone who looks exactly like you?” Molly asked.

“A bit,” Sherlock said with a slight nod. “But I suppose I shall have to get used to it.”

“Hopefully we won’t be here long enough that you have to,” McCoy said. “Where do you want this?”

“Upstairs bedroom, last door on the left.” Sherlock looked around. “I suppose I shall see all of you later.”

“Sherlock?” Molly asked.

“Yes?”

“Be careful,” she said, a tinge of worry in her voice.

He gave her a slight smile. “I will be, I promise.” With that, he turned and headed towards the basement bedroom. He opened the door and let himself in. There were two chairs in the room. Khan was in one of them, and Kirk was in the other. “There is dinner being served upstairs, as well as tea,” he said to Kirk.

“Will you be all right with him?” Kirk asked, standing up.

Sherlock nodded. “I believe I shall be fine. I can eat later. I don’t know how long it has been since you’ve had a meal.”

“Thanks, Sherlock,” Kirk said with a nod. He handed Sherlock the taser and then went to the door, letting himself out.

“I will not change my mind,” Khan said sourly.

“You sound like a petulant child.”

“I sound like you. You must have sounded like this before.”

“I have,” Sherlock conceded. “And I have been told how annoying it is by those who were around.”

“Your friend Watson?” Khan asked.

“Among others.” Sherlock sat down in the now vacant chair. “Why did you take him?”

“You expect me to reveal my plan to you?”

Sherlock shrugged slightly. “I just want to see if my hypothesis is correct.”

“And what hypothesis would that be?” Khan asked with a slight sneer.

“That you planned to use John to lure me to the meeting place and force Kirk to send me back to his time and put me in the cryotube instead of yourself. Then you would kill him and his crew and return to that time to exact your revenge for the mistaken belief that your crew had been murdered by Starfleet.”

Khan blinked slightly. “That is surprising,” he murmured after a moment. “That was exactly what I had planned.”

“There would be no other reason to involve me in the exchange if you simply wanted the machine,” Sherlock said. “Having me imprisoned in the cryotube would allow you to roam free and destroy your enemies.”

“You really are brilliant,” Khan replied.

“Actually, it was fairly obvious the minute I heard you had requested me to be at the exchange,” Sherlock said, his shrug more noticeable this time.

Khan looked at him. “Why do you solve murders? Why don’t you try and become rich, or run a criminal empire? You could do it, you know. You could do so much better.”

“There is something in my nature that likes to solve challenging puzzles,” Sherlock said after a moment. “Bringing someone to justice for a crime was an afterthought.”

“But you could do great things,” Khan said. “You could rule this world.”

“I could,” Sherlock said with a nod. “And I could destroy it in the process as well.”

“Help me escape, and I shall show you great things. I will make you great. We…we could do so much more together,” Khan said.

“And how many people would have to die in the process?” Sherlock asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Does it matter?” Khan asked.

“It matters greatly.”

“Anyone who isn’t superior. Anyone who would not benefit from the vast majority of the world being razed and a new superior breed of humans coming to power.”

“I do not need power, or wealth, or a crown on my head,” Sherlock said. “I just want my old life back.”

“Then you are a fool,” Khan spat out. “A sentimental fool.”

Sherlock smiled slightly. “I have never been called sentimental before. That’s new.”

“When I escape, I will kill you all. Kirk and his crew, you and your friends…I will crush your skulls beneath my heel.”

“You can try,” Sherlock said. “But I don’t think you will succeed.”

“And why is that?” Khan asked.

“Because eventually the need for revenge will subside when you remember the fate of your crew rests in Kirk’s hands,” Sherlock said. “You know they are alive. Eventually, you will do what is best for them.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because, in some ways, you and I are incredibly alike. We would do anything for the sake of those we hold close.”

“I once said the same thing to Kirk.”

“Then perhaps we are all more similar than we would like to admit,” Sherlock said.

“Perhaps we are. That does not mean I will change my mind. My resolve will hold far longer than his, or yours.”

“We shall see.”


	10. Chapter 10

A week went by, then another, then a third, and neither Khan nor Kirk budged. After a week John and Lestrade were able to return to work, but both of them were on edge, afraid that Khan might escape and come after them, more determined than ever to kill anyone who stood in his way. Molly had taken vacation days to stay at 221B Baker Street to help in any way she could, then sick days when that ran out, but within three days she would need to go back to work or lose her job.

Only Kirk, Spock and Sherlock had been around Khan those twenty-one days, and each of them tried different ways to get him to agree. None of them were successful. Spock simply ignored him, letting Khan rant and rave with no reaction. Kirk ended up angrier when he left than when he had gotten in, and Khan usually seemed more agitated as well. It was only with Sherlock that the man was civil, and that was why Sherlock spent more time in the basement bedroom than the others.

It was now day twenty-two of Khan being kept prisoner in the basement bedroom. Sherlock was there, looking at the wall. Khan was quiet as well. Finally, Khan spoke. “He is not going to yield,” he said quietly.

“Who, Kirk?” Sherlock said, not turning to look at Khan.

“Who else?” Khan said ruefully. “He is seriously considering staying here, I will give him that.”

Sherlock nodded slowly, finally turning to look at him. “I think he is equally serious about sending you to the prehistoric era as well. His crew has agreed to stay if need be, and none of them have wavered on the agreement, either.”

“This is a losing battle, then.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Do you know what it is like to be cryogenically frozen?” He paused. “No, of course you don’t. That is not technology of this era. You have ceaseless dreams. You do not do anything other than dream. You would think that, being frozen, it would be nothing but blackness, but that is not true. Your brain is still working, and it’s in the deepest of deep sleep.”

“And if you have nightmares it’s a never-ending nightmare,” Sherlock said.

“Yes,” Khan replied. “I do not want to go back to that. But I see I might have no choice.” He sighed. “My plan might have worked.”

“Highly doubtful,” Sherlock said. “It was too obvious and too easy to exploit the weaknesses.”

“Perhaps.”

“Are you going to lie to them as they fix the machine?” Sherlock asked.

“No. At least if I go back to their time than I can be near my crew. At least he can try and keep them safe. I would rather go back to that always dreaming state if I knew no harm would come to them.”

“Then I believe you have made the right decision.” Sherlock stood. “I will go inform him.”

“Why did you refuse?” Khan asked as Sherlock was almost to the door.

“Your offer to take over the world, to help to create a new master race?” Sherlock asked, pausing with his hand on the doorknob.

“Yes. You could do great things.”

“I still can, but my killing days are over. I want to go back to how things had been. I do not need power to make me happy.”

“Then perhaps I am envious of you,” Khan said quietly.

“Thank you, I suppose.” Sherlock opened the door and walked back to the sitting room. Kirk was there, having a cup of tea with Molly and Carol. Scotty was sleeping on a nearby cot. “He has agreed to fix the machine.”

“Really?” Kirk asked, his eyes wide. He nearly dropped his cup. “Damn. How did you manage that?”

“I didn’t. The fact that it has been three weeks and you have not yielded has finally worn him down. He wants his crew to be safe, and he knows right now you can promise that, but only if you are back in your time.”

Kirk nodded. “Okay. That’s good. We’ve got progress.” He looked over at Scotty. “He’s been up the last twenty hours trying to figure the machine out. Can we let him sleep some more?”

Sherlock nodded. “I will go back to Khan and find out what we need to finish the machine, and then I will start collecting things as soon as he wakes up.”

“Thanks,” Kirk said. Sherlock nodded once and then went back to the basement bedroom. Kirk turned to the two women. “Soon we’ll be home,” he said to Carol with a grin.

“Yes,” she replied, smiling back. “It would have been nice if I’d gotten to explore a bit, but I suppose that is asking too much.”

“If you don’t need us here tomorrow, James, we could always go out,” Molly said. “I could show her the places she wants to see most.”

“Could we?” Carol asked, looking at Kirk.

“I don’t see why not,” Kirk said, his grin widening. “If it hadn’t been for you and your knowledge of your family we never would have caught Khan. I think you deserve something special.”

“Thank you,” Carol said, getting up from her seat and impulsively hugging Kirk. After a moment of surprise he hugged her back, and then she let go. “I believe I’ll try and get some sleep now. Then tomorrow we can figure out what we want to do. Thank you so much, Molly.”

“Think nothing of it,” Molly said with a smile. “Good night, Carol.”

“Good night,” Carol said with a wide grin.

“You just made her very happy,” Molly said with a chuckle.

“I feel like I owe her sometimes,” Kirk said, his smile dimming slightly. “If I hadn’t brought Khan on that ship, her father might still be alive.”

“But you and your crew would be dead,” Molly pointed out. “I think she knows that well enough, and accepts the loss of her father for that reason. You just have to remember that.” She finished her tea. “Would you like more tea?”

Kirk shook his head. “You guys drink way too much tea.”

“I saw you filching some of the whiskey in the kitchen,” Molly said with an amused smile. “But yes, we do love our tea here.”

“I can tell.” Kirk leaned back in the seat. “Soon, we’ll be out of your hair. You’ll never have to worry about us again.”

“I will rather miss the excitement, though,” she said. “And I will miss Carol. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know her. Knowing many years down the line she’s my many times granddaughter…it’s strange, but wonderful. She is a good woman.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Kirk said with a grin.

“She would be a good person for someone to settle down with,” Molly said. “I hope she gets so lucky.” Molly then stood. “Good night, James.”

“Night, Molly,” He said, a slight frown on his face. He found himself wondering just what Molly meant with that remark, but as he started to think on it more he heard footsteps coming from the basement area. He looked and saw Sherlock coming up. “Did you get the list?” he asked.

Sherlock nodded. “The majority of the items are relatively common. The more exotic ones I shall have to call in favors for. But I believe I can get everything by the end of the week.”

“Great. In a week we’ll be gone and you guys can forget all about us.” Kirk looked around. “Want to try and get some sleep? I can stay down there with him for a while.”

Sherlock shook his head. “I am fine. When Spock awakes, have him come relieve me.”

“If you’re sure,” Kirk said with a nod, standing up. He yawned slightly. “Guess I’m more tired than I thought. See you in the morning, Sherlock.”

“Good night, Kirk,” Sherlock said with a nod of his own. He pulled out his cell phone and called John. Their relationship had warmed considerably in the time they had spent together in the week before he left to go back home, but he did not know if a call at midnight would be appreciated.

John picked up after three rings. “Sherlock? Why in the bloody hell are you calling at midnight?”

“Khan agreed to send them all back to their time,” Sherlock said. “Within a week he will no longer be our problem.”

“That’s good news, at least,” John said. Sherlock imagined he was wearing a relieved smile. “Why did he agree?”

“Because Kirk was just as stubborn as he was,” Sherlock said. “I had another reason for calling, though.”

“All right.”

“There are things I need to gather to help facilitate fixing the machine. I was wondering if you would be free to help tomorrow.”

“I suppose. But I have a date with Mary at seven and I will not miss it.”

“Of course. I would not dare ask you to.”

“Okay then. When do you want to meet tomorrow?”

“I’ll only need a few hours sleep, so let us aim for nine AM.”

“Nine it is. See you tomorrow, Sherlock.”

“Good night, John.” Sherlock hung up and looked at his phone with a slight smile. The whole situation might have been unexpected and unusual, but at least some good had come out of it. He made his way back down to the basement bedroom with that thought in mind. It would do well to fortify him for the next four hours until he was relieved.


	11. Chapter 11

It took a week and a half for Sherlock and John to gather the supplies needed to fix the machine. There was one item that they almost weren’t able to get, but Mycroft pulled some strings and it arrived at 221B Baker Street three days after he requested it. Then it took another two days to actually fix the machine, with a table having been brought down to the basement bedroom and two people, one with the taser and one with a phaser, trained on Khan as he and Scotty worked on the machine.

Finally the time to go was upon them. In the time they had been in 21st century London they had accumulated more clothing than the initial outfits they had, and seeing as their Starfleet outfits had been abandoned they went back in their new clothing. Kirk, Uhura and Carol had especially liked a few pieces and those were stowed in bags on their backs. They were gathered in the sitting room with Sherlock, Molly, Lestrade and John there. Sherlock had suggested to Mrs. Hudson she take some time to visit her sister in the country earlier in the week so that when the others left there would not be questions. She had gladly taken him up on the offer to escape a house full of people.

“So, I guess this was interesting,” Kirk said with a grin towards Sherlock. “Hope we never have to see each other again.”

“Likewise,” Sherlock said with a nod, though he wore a grin as well. He extended his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, though.”

“Yeah, same here,” Kirk said, shaking it. He turned to the others, and finally looked at Carol, who was quietly saying good-bye to Molly. She finished, and they all went over to the machine. “All right, Scotty. Pick it up and everyone grab hold of someone else.” Each member held onto Scotty, and Kirk placed one hand on Scotty’s shoulder and grabbed Khan’s upper arm as well. “You shrug out of my grip and I’ll come back for you,” he said quietly to Khan.

“I know,” Khan said, glaring at him.

Kirk glared back, and then looked at Scotty. “Go for it, Scotty.”

“Right, Captain.” He hit the button, and then the electrical field covered them again. They shut their eyes and when the bright lights receded they were back in the abandoned hangar, though they were not in Khan’s workroom. “Do we still have our communicators?”

“I have mine,” Spock said, letting go of Scotty’s other shoulder. He pulled his communicator out of his pocket. “It appears to be working.”

“Let’s get back to the shuttle and hail someone from Starfleet,” Kirk said. “I’m not going to be happy until I talk to a real live person.”

The others nodded and they went to the shuttle. They opened it up and went inside, and Uhura sat down in the chair and set about hailing Starfleet. “This is Lieutenant Nyota Uhura of the Starship Enterprise. I need to speak to Admiral Parker.”

“Right away, ma’am,” the answering voice said.

After a few moments Admiral Parker was heard. “Lieutenant Uhura. Did you find him in the hangar?”

“Yes we did, ma’am,” Kirk said. “We were just wondering how much time has passed, though.”

“That’s a strange question,” Admiral Parker said.

“Humor me,” Kirk replied.

“You left at noon. It’s only been about four hours.”

“It worked,” Kirk said quietly with relief.

“Captain Kirk, do you have the prisoner in custody?” Admiral parker asked.

“Yes ma’am. We’ll take him to the prison planet now.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Admiral Parker said, and relief was evident in her voice as well.

“Admiral, we did make him a deal to get him to come along willingly. We want to have the rest of his crew moved to the same place,” Kirk said.

There was a long pause. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said when she finally spoke again. “It shouldn’t be too hard, but we do not want a repeat of the earlier actions. Perhaps the Enterprise could be used for that purpose?”

“We’d be happy to do that, ma’am,” Kirk said, looking to Khan, who nodded. “We’ll take him there now and return home.”

“I’ll expect a full debriefing when you return,” she said, and then she ended the transmission.

“Jim, you don’t expect to tell her the truth, do you?” McCoy asked.

“Well, if Spock wasn’t involved I’d say we lie to her,” Kirk said. “But Spock won’t lie.” He turned to Scotty and nodded towards the shuttle door. Scotty nodded and the two of them walked away from the others back out into the hangar. “Damage the machine so it’s inoperable.” 

“All right,” Scotty said. “Do you still want it in one piece?”

Kirk nodded. “Maybe someday they’ll figure out how to get it working again, but I don’t want that day to be today. Take out whatever component is most needed. And once Khan goes back into cryogenic sleep, don’t tell anyone how the damn thing works.”

Scotty’s eyes widened as something dawned on him. “That’s why you wouldn’t let Spock in while Khan and I were fixing it.”

Kirk nodded. “I don’t want anyone using his particular weakness to get the thing working again. If he saw and he knew he’d have to tell if asked. I wanted to make sure it’d be hard as hell for someone to duplicate it.”

“All right, Jim. I’ll take care of it now.” Scotty set the machine on the ground and pulled the pack on his back off to rummage through it. He got some tools and opened it up, and then pulled something out. “There. Essentially it’s fried. It won’t travel through time, just space.”

“Great. But the lid back on and let’s join the others.” Scotty nodded and did just that, and then the two of them went back inside. Kirk looked at Khan. “You heard Admiral Parker say she’d send your crew there. Satisfied?”

“Yes,” Khan said with a nod.

Kirk turned to Uhura and Spock, who were at the controls of the shuttle. “Let’s get there and then get back home. There’s a lot we need to talk about, and I want some of that well deserved vacation time.”

“Amen to that,” McCoy murmured.

“We’ll be there shortly, Captain,” Spock said.

“Good.” He went and sat down across from Khan. “You’re a giant pain in the ass, you know that? I’ll be glad when you’re asleep again.”

“Know if I escape again I will not make it so easy for you next time,” Khan said.

“So noted,” Kirk replied. “Hopefully we’ll never have to see each other again.”

“I hope that as well.” Khan paused. “You are a formidable opponent, however.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” Kirk looked at him closely. “Sherlock said you offered him a chance to take over the world and he turned it down.”

“Yes. He was a fool.”

“I think you two could have done it if he’d said yes.”

Khan inclined his head slightly. “I’m glad you acknowledged that.”

“I still think you’re a bastard, though.”

“I surmised as much.”

Kirk turned away from him and looked at Uhura and Spock. “Take us out.”

“Yes, Captain,” Spock said.

Kirk settled back in his seat and shut his eyes. So far, everything was going well. He just hoped it stayed that way.

\--

The next evening at a bar near the Port of San Francisco, the crew of the Enterprise who had gone back in time were joined by Chekov and Sulu. The two of them had been involved in the meeting where the entire story was told to Admiral Parker, and all had agreed to keep it quiet. It was in the best interest of everyone involved, it had been decided, but that didn’t mean the eight of them wouldn’t talk about it.

Kirk held up a shot glass and looked at the others. “To capturing a dangerous criminal,” he said.

“Cheers!” everyone but Spock chorused. Each of them tapped their glasses against someone else’s, and then they all had their drinks.

“I do not see why that must be said,” Spock said with a frown.

“I’m starting to regret inviting you to come with us,” Kirk said with a frown as Uhura chuckled and leaned over to kiss Spock’s cheek.

“Captain—“ Spock started, but Kirk held up a hand.

“Just let us enjoy ourselves. It’s been a tedious month,” Kirk said before signaling to the bartender for another shot.

“I’m just glad you were successful,” Sulu said, taking a sip of his own drink. “I can’t imagine what would have happened if he’d been back there and you hadn’t caught him.”

Kirk thought to the last conversation he’d had with Khan. “The world would have been a very different place right now, I think.” The bartender brought him his shot, and he grinned at him for a moment before lifting up that glass. “To Carol, for knowing so much about her family history.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Scotty said with a grin towards Carol.

“I will as well,” McCoy said, winking at her.

Carol blushed as everyone clinked their glasses and drank their drinks. “Then I propose the next toast be to Sherlock, Molly, John and Greg.”

“I actually kind of miss them,” Uhura said. “Did much change in your family history?”

Carol shook her head. “All the diaries and blog posts remained the same. I think Molly didn’t write about it because she knew I would read it. Though something does make sense now.”

“Oh? What?” Kirk asked.

“Why they named their first daughter Carol,” she replied with a smile. “She was named after me.”

“That’s kind of cool,” Kirk said with a grin.

“They named their son James,” she said to him. “After you.”

Kirk nodded. “Now I’m touched.” He signaled for another drink. “How many children did they have?”

“Just the two,” Carol said. “I’m descended from their daughter, which is why my family name isn’t Holmes.”

The bartender came with his drink a few minutes later. “Then let’s toast to them. Top Sherlock, Molly, John and Greg.”

“Cheers!” the others chorused, touching glasses again. Then they downed their drinks.

“Well, this has been lovely, but I think I need to go home and rest,” Carol said with a smile as she stood up. “It’s been a long few weeks for me.”

The others said their good-byes, and after she had taken a few steps away from their table Kirk jumped up and headed after her. “Hey! Carol!”

“Yes?” she asked, turning around.

He looked at her closely. “Do you want to get dinner tomorrow?”

“Why?” she asked.

“Someone gave me a good piece of advice,” he said with a slight shrug. “We can ask the others to come with us if that would make you more comfortable.”

“James Tiberius Kirk, are you asking me out on a date?” Carol asked with a smile.

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

“As long as you understand that there will be no sex afterwards, than I accept your invitation to dinner,” she said, her smile wider.

“That’s non-negotiable?” he asked with a grin.

“Absolutely non-negotiable.”

“I can live with that,” he said as he grinned more widely. “Tomorrow at six?”

“Let me know where to meet you,” she said, “and I’ll be there.”

“Okay then. See you tomorrow.” She gave him one last grin before turning and heading back out, and Kirk was actually whistling as he made his way to the rest of his friends, who had continued to drink without him. Life was looking pretty good right now, he had to admit. Pretty damn good, and that was the way it should be.


End file.
